Department for Transport

Bicycles: Electric Vehicles

Mrs Flick Drummond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the uptake of electric bicycles.

Mrs Flick Drummond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a purchase subsidy for electric bikes for the accessibility of those bikes.

Jesse Norman: The Government has implemented an £8 million national programme to provide opportunities to try electric cycles through short term loans. Active Travel England is also funding local authority-led cycle loan and share schemes. The Department considered a range of options to increase e-cycling uptake in 2020-21. This concluded that these initiatives were more cost-effective, and better value for taxpayers’ money, than a purchase subsidy. In addition, the Government already supports affordable access to cycles, including e-cycles, through the Cycle to Work scheme.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points across the country.

Jesse Norman: As set out in its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, the Government expects ten times more public chargepoints to be installed across the UK by the end of the decade, bringing the number to over 300,000 by 2030.The Government expects to see a market-led roll-out for the majority of chargepoints with hundreds of millions of pounds being committed and deployment accelerating. There are plans for thousands of chargers at workplaces, supermarkets, hotels, petrol stations, on local streets and in rapid charging hubs.The Government will focus its efforts on two sectors where intervention is most needed, and where the business cases can be challenging: high powered chargers on the strategic road network through the Rapid Charging Fund and local on-street charging, through the Local EV Infrastructure Fund.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2023 to Question 152223 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for which there is a difference in the number of electric vehicle charging points available for public use between (a) London, (b) the rest of England and (c) Wales.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s priority is to ensure that the right chargepoints are installed in the right places. However, there are no plans for a top-down process as the number of chargepoints needed in areas will depend on consumer travel and charging behaviour. Different approaches will be suitable for different local environments, particularly for those without off-street parking. The Department for Transport works closely with its counterparts in the devolved administrations to support the transition to zero emission vehicles across the UK.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2023 to Question 152222 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, whether his Department has made an assessment of the reasons for the decrease in rate of electric vehicle charging points installations across the UK.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2023 to Question 152222 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, Does whether he plans to increase the rate of installation of electric vehicle charging points.

Jesse Norman: There has not been a decrease in the rate of chargepoint installations.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to improve access for (a) disabled and (b) all users of electric vehicle charging points.

Jesse Norman: As the transition to electric vehicles (EV) accelerates, it is important that public chargepoints are easily accessible to all those who need to use them, including disabled and elderly people. Working alongside the disability charity, Motability, the Government commissioned the British Standards Institution (BSI) to produce a new accessibility standard. A world first of its kind, the Publicly Available Standard (PAS) 1899 was published on 11 October 2022, and lays out best practice on designing and installing accessible public EV chargepoints. Compliance with PAS 1899 is voluntary. However, the Government is actively encouraging relevant parties to adopt its specifications, building on improvements already being made in the sector. Several local authorities receiving Local EV Infrastructure Pilot funding are already considering PAS 1899 and accessibility in their plans for chargepoint rollout.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of (a) levels of consumer confidence in the reliability of the electric vehicle charging network and (b) the potential impact of those confidence levels on achieving the Government's aim of ending the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

Jesse Norman: With over 1 million registered plug-in vehicles in the UK, it is clear that the public recognises the benefits of switching to zero emission vehicles. In 2021 the Government consulted on measures to improve the consumer experience at public chargepoints and published its response in March 2022. To increase confidence in the charging network, the Government intends to lay legislation in the coming months to improve the accessibility and reliability of the network still further.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the results of the consultation on Policy design features for the car and van zero emission vehicle mandate.

Jesse Norman: Responses to the technical consultation are being analysed and the Government will publish its response, and a full regulatory proposal and cost benefit analysis, in due course.

Marine Environment Protection Committee

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2022 to Question 107115, if he will list the organisations represented by the five external maritime consultants on the UK delegation to the 79th session of the International Maritime Organisation’s Marine Environment Protection Committee.

Mr Richard Holden: Five representatives were registered for this session comprised of: one from academia; two from the UK Chamber of Shipping; and two from Lloyd’s Register.

Shipping: Cyprus

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the memorandum of understanding that his Department agreed with the Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry on 21 February 2023.

Mr Richard Holden: The Memorandum of Understanding signed on 21 February is a non-binding maritime co-operation agreement between the Department for Transport and the Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry. I have placed a copy of the MoU in the Libraries of both houses.

Bus Services: West Midlands

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on whether (a) Diamond Bus, (b) Sandwell Council and (c) Transport for West Midlands received a (i) bus service operator  and (ii) bus recovery grant in each of the last three years.

Mr Richard Holden: Diamond Bus is a commercial bus operator and recovery funding provided to them by the Department for Transport through the Bus Recovery Grant is commercially sensitive. Diamond Bus Ltd received £1,600,478.60 in 19/20, £1,264,742.20 in 20/21 and £1,712,055.34 in 21/22 through the Bus Service Operator Grant. Transport for West Midlands oversees transport in Sandwell Council and all funding provided to them under the Bus Service Operators Grant and Bus Recovery Grant is paid to West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). WMCA has received £1,792,259 annually since 2013 through the Bus Service Operator Grant. WMCA have been allocated £7.3m from March 2020 to October 2022 to support services through the pandemic, of which they received £4.2 million via Covid-19 Bus Service Support Grant, £1.2 million via Bus Recovery Grant and £1.9 million from the Local Transport Fund. The Department for Transport also provided funding to WMCA to support its bus network for the duration of the Commonwealth Games in 2022. WMCA therefore also received an additional £23.4m under the Network Stabilisation Fund and Network Planning Fund which can be used to maintain bus services.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits setting national standards for local authorities conducting road improvement projects.

Mr Richard Holden: The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges contains information on the design, construction, and maintenance of highways for construction professionals. These documents apply to trunk road and motorway works. For all other roads, the decisions on the choice of standards and their incorporation into designs is up to the relevant local highway authority. As local road networks have evolved over time, the Department instead encourages local authorities to adopt good practice in local highway maintenance through channels such as the Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice produced by the UK Roads Leadership Group and to adopt the principles of the Manual for Streets, which provides advice on designing streets that create a sense of place and deliver for local people.

Blue Badge Scheme

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the eligibility criteria for applicants to the Blue Badge scheme who have irreversible medical conditions; and whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of exempting such applicants from the requirement to undertake a renewal process for their Blue Badge.

Mr Richard Holden: Applications to the Blue Badge scheme are not dependent upon condition but are based on the need of the applicant to park closer to their destination. People with long term medical conditions could receive a badge if they meet the eligibility criteria. Local authorities are responsible for administering the scheme locally and all local authority administrators have the discretion to add a ‘not for reassessment’ marker to individual Blue Badge records, including for applicants with long term conditions.

Bus Services: Kent

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the number and proportion of buses in Kent and Medway that are able to provide audio-visual announcements; and whether he plans to provide funding to increase the number of buses equipped for such announcements.

Mr Richard Holden: In 2021/22, 25% of buses in England outside of London were equipped to provide audio-visual information. We do not hold more granular information, such as statistics specific to Kent and Medway.We plan to require the provision of audible and visible information on local bus and coach services across Great Britain and intend to introduce the Accessible Information Regulations.We have allocated £3.55m to the Real Time Information Group, who will be supporting small operators with the upfront costs of the planned Regulations.The 2021 National Bus Strategy requires all Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) outside London to produce Bus Service Improvement Plans. Our Guidance created to support LTAs with the development of these plans recommends that buses offer end to end accessibility, by for example, offering onboard accessible information.We have also required buses funded through the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme to provide audible and visible information as standard.

Attorney General

Russia: Ukraine

Jim Shannon: To ask the Attorney General, if she will make an assessment with her Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of allowing UK courts to be used for hearings about damage to Ukrainian infrastructure caused by Russian forces.

Michael Tomlinson: Those responsible for the atrocities that have been committed in Ukraine will be held to account, including military commanders and other individuals in the Putin regime. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is barbaric. The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and we are committed to helping them secure justice for a growing catalogue of war crimes, which would of course include deliberate or disproportionate damage caused to civilian infrastructure by Russian forces. The international community is rightly focused on prosecution for war crimes. That is the right focus to ensure accountability and to have a deterrent effect on the behaviour of those fighting this conflict at the moment. At Ukraine’s invitation, the UK will play a leading role in a core group of like-minded partners to pursue criminal accountability for Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Attorney General has just returned from Ukraine, supporting our training of Ukrainian judges. Cases are already being heard in Ukraine itself. Although consideration could be given to using the courts in England and Wales, it will be necessary to have an international tribunal, and we are determined to help secure justice for the growing catalogue of war crimes in Ukraine.

Courts: Standards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in the devolved administrations on court delays due to covid-19; and if she will take steps to support those administrations in tackling those delays.

Michael Tomlinson: The Attorney General’s Office have had no recent discussions with counterparts in devolved administrations in relation to court delays. In England and Wales, court delays are a matter for the Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunal’s Service.

Department of Health and Social Care

Protective Clothing: Contracts

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide an update on his Department's plans for responding to the Humble Address Motion of 6 December 2022 on Government PPE contracts.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts: Debts

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 150442 on NHS Trusts: Debts, if his Department will publish a list of each NHS trust and NHS foundation trust in financial deficit in the financial year 2021-22 and its deficit.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fibromyalgia: Health Services

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of whether the needs of patients with fibromyalgia are being met by the NHS.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. The majority of patients with fibromyalgia can be cared for in primary care settings. To support healthcare professionals and commissioners in meeting the needs of patients, there is National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance available on the diagnosis and management of chronic pain conditions, including fibromyalgia. The Fibromyalgia Association UK has also worked with healthcare professionals to develop a guidance for health professionals.

Hospices: Standards

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle cases of neglect in hospices.

Helen Whately: Where anyone alleges poor care, neglect or abuse, we expect those providing the service, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and other appropriate authorities to take swift action.CQC is developing a new single assessment framework to be implemented by the end of the calendar year, which will inform its judgements about quality. As part of this, CQC will continue to place importance on safeguarding during its assessments and will assess whether people who use services are able to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect.Where CQC identifies that a hospice is in breach of a regulation following an inspection, it will use its enforcement powers.

Hereditary Diseases: Health and Social Services

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the level of life-long provision of services for adults with mitochondiral diseases.

Helen Whately: NHS England commissions a rare mitochondrial disorders service for adults and children from three centres: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The service provides specialist histochemical, biochemical and molecular genetics testing and multi-disciplinary outpatient assessment, including access to cardiology, ophthalmology, diabetology, neurology, genetics, physiotherapy and speech therapy. The service provides clinical management and holistic advice to patients and their families and carers as well as taking part in research into these diseases. The service provides lifelong supportive care for patients with mitochondrial disease. There are no plans to expand the service.

Arthritis: Medical Treatments

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the wellbeing of people with arthritis whose treatment for that condition has been delayed.

Helen Whately: To support the wellbeing of people with arthritis whose treatment has been delayed, clinical support services can be accessed via a patient’s general practitioner or first contact practitioner for reassessment and medication review for pain control and through specialist community musculoskeletal services.Further wellbeing support is available to patients on the National Health Service website, which provides advice on living with arthritis and links to national and local charities.

Speech and Language Therapy: Staff

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of speech and language therapists in (a) South Yorkshire (b) England.

Will Quince: The National Health Service has launched its fifth consecutive national recruitment campaign ‘We are the NHS’ to inspire people to consider a career in healthcare and increase applications for healthcare courses, including Speech and Language Therapists.The Student Loans Company provides the primary funding support package for students in further education. Student loans are subsidised by the taxpayer, this is a conscious investment in the skills and people of this country. Eligible students also have access to a non-repayable grant of £5,000 per academic year plus additional grants and supports depending on their circumstances. The Government continues to widen access to speech and language therapy careers through apprenticeship routes.As of October 2022, there were 6,986 full time equivalent (FTE) speech and language therapists in NHS trusts and commissioning bodies in England, an increase of 20% since October 2010 and 186 FTE in the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, an increase of 24% since October 2010.

Arthritis: Diagnosis

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support and promote early diagnosis of arthritis.

Helen Whately: NHS England is working to help support and promote early diagnosis of arthritis through its Getting It Right First Time rheumatology programme, which is designed to improve the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis. The national report makes a number of recommendations which look to support equitable and consistent access to diagnostic tests.In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a range of guidance to support early diagnosis of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Whilst NICE guidelines are not mandatory, healthcare professionals and commissioners are expected to take them fully into account.

Cancer: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Major Conditions Strategy will incorporate the commitments made in the 10-year Cancer Plan.

Helen Whately: The Major Conditions Strategy will look at cancer, covering the patient pathway from prevention, through treatment, to follow-up care. The strategy will look at a wide range of interventions and enablers to improve outcomes and experience for cancer patients.This Strategy will draw on previous work on cancer, including over 5,000 submissions provided to the Department as part of our Call for Evidence last year.  We will continue to work closely with stakeholders, citizens, and the National Health Service in coming weeks to identify actions for the Strategy that will have the most impact.

Care Homes: Closures

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he if he will increase the length of the statutory notice period for care home operators informing local authorities of their intention to close.

Helen Whately: There is no statutory notice period for care home operators to inform local authorities of their intention to close. It is for local authorities to decide whether to include any notice period in contracts for services with providers.

Medical Equipment: Supply Chains

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of supply chain disruption on the supply of medical devices to the UK.

Will Quince: We continue to see the impact of global events on supply chains and are aware of increased pressures on global manufacturing capacity. In response, the Department works closely with the Devolved Administrations, NHS England, NHS Supply Chain and suppliers to maintain continuity of supply across a broad range of products to minimise the impact of any potential supply disruptions on patient care. While supplies have been maintained, responding to some supply chain disruptions has required a switch to alternative products in some instances. The Department proactively monitors supply conditions and engages extensively with industry to identify threats to the supply of medical equipment.

Health Services: Plastics

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of restricting the use of single-use plastics in clinical and healthcare settings.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to reduce the use of single-use plastic in (a) GP surgeries and (b) pharmacies.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on increasing the use of recyclable materials in clinical and healthcare settings.

Will Quince: As set out in the Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service report, published in October 2020, the National Health Service is taking action to achieve a 10% reduction in clinical single-use plastics in the short-term. In the longer term, the NHS aims to eliminate waste, turning all waste into a resource. This includes using reusable equipment where it is safe and appropriate to do so, and recycling when it is not.The NHS is making strong progress on these aims, for instance reducing single-use plastics in catering by 28.1% since 2019.While arrangements for the reuse of medical supplies are managed locally, NHS England collaborates with NHS Supply Chain to increase availability of more sustainable products and supports local NHS organisations through the publication of guidance, including steps to eliminate waste.

General Practitioners: Closures

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP practices in England have closed in the last 12 months.

Neil O'Brien: From 28 February 2022 until 24 February 2023, 158 practices closed in England. Practices close for a variety of reasons, including mergers or retirement. Commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that the affected patients have access to GP services.As part of this process, under the NHS Act 2006, commissioners must make arrangements to secure the involvement of affected patients in developing and considering proposals that would have an impact on the manner in which services are delivered or the range of health services available to those patients. When a practice does close, patients are informed of the closure and advised to register at another local practice of their choice within their area.

Social Prescribing: Staff

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time equivalent Social Prescribing Link Workers are employed in England.

Neil O'Brien: As of February 2023, there were 3,161 full-time equivalent Social Prescribing Link Workers employed by Primary Care Networks.There are similar roles commissioned locally and delivered through Local Authorities and/or the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise sector. There is not a central measure in place for this workforce.

Medical Equipment

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that an adequate number of medical devices are available on the UK market.

Will Quince: The response to the future medical device regulations consultation, published in June 2022, outlined changes supporting innovation in United Kingdom’s life sciences and access to medical devices. The Government is fully committed to protecting the continuity of supply of medical devices and providing sufficient time for industry to transition to any new requirements.The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed that devices “Conformité Européene” marked under the most recent European Union regulations can continue to be placed on the Great Britain market for up to five years from July 2024, when the new UK regime is planned to take effect. MHRA is developing a world-leading regulatory framework for the UK that will ensure the ongoing availability of adequate numbers of medical devices.

Cancer: Waiting Lists

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the average length of time for urgent cancer referrals in (a) Watford constituency and (b) England.

Helen Whately: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Hospices: Energy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the adequacy of the level of support that has been provided to hospices for utility costs.

Helen Whately: No specific discussion has taken place. There is regular engagement with Hospice UK and other palliative and end of life care stakeholders at both ministerial and official level to understand the issues they face, such as the impact of the cost of energy on the hospice sector.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Danny Kruger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the (a) vaccine, (b) resourcing, (c) other direct, (d) marketing and promotional and (e) other indirect costs of vaccinating children under the age of 18 for covid-19 in 2023.

Maria Caulfield: There is no specific budget allocated to NHS England for the treatment of individuals who may have been injured following an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine. Treatment will be managed by National Health Service local specialist services, with funding provided in the usual way through general allocations.

Patients: Rehabilitation

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services, whether his Department plans to implement the recommendations of the Making Community Rehabilitation Data Count report published by the Community Rehabilitation Alliance in November 2022.

Helen Whately: The delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services was published on 30 January and set out a number of commitments to support improvements to waiting times and patient experience. The plan commits to improving data across health and social care, including making more data available to the public to ensure greater transparency.Ensuring availability of high-quality data to drive local service improvement and commissioning decisions and improve outcomes for people receiving a rehabilitation service is an important area of focus and NHS England will work closely with the Community Rehabilitation Alliance to progress work in this area.

Dementia: Research

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the £375 million of funding for researching neurodegenerative diseases over the following five years announced in November 2021, whether his Department will provide additional funding for such research as part of the 10-year plan for dementia.

Helen Whately: The Government is strongly committed to supporting research into dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. Through partnerships with patients, researchers, funders and charities we continue to play a significant role in global efforts against the disease. In our 2019 manifesto we committed to double funding for dementia research. We will double funding for dementia research to £160 million a year by 2024/25.On 24 January, the Government announced that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy covering six conditions including dementia. An interim report on the Major Conditions Strategy will be published in the Summer. Many stakeholders have already engaged with the Government on dementia. The Department will set out opportunities to contribute further in due course.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2023 to Question 126740 and according to information held by NHS England, which NHS (a) trusts and (b) integrated care boards have declared either (i) critical incident status and/or (ii) Operational Pressures Escalation Level (OPEL) 4 status since 21 December 2022.

Will Quince: NHS England holds National Health Service operational management information on Operating Pressure Escalation Level (OPEL) status and critical incidents for NHS trusts and integrated care boards. However, this information is not validated or published and is a snapshot and therefore subject to change. NHS England publishes an increased range of data on NHS pressures and performance during the winter period. This includes data on accident and emergency (A&E) closures, A&E diverts, hospital bed occupancy, and ambulance handover times. This approach, including the standardisation and inclusion of any new data, such as OPEL levels or critical incidents, will be kept under review and will inform the approach taken for future winters.

Dementia

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department made on enacting the 10-Year Plan for Dementia that was announced by the Government in May 2022.

Helen Whately: On 24 January, the Government announced that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy covering six conditions including dementia. An interim report on the Major Conditions Strategy will be published in the Summer.

Health Services: Costs

Nickie Aiken: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average cost was for a (a) new hospital, (b) hospital upgrade, (c) MRI machine, (d) CT scanner and (e) GP appointment in the latest period for which data is available.

Will Quince: The following table shows information relating to the average costs of a new hospital, hospital upgrade, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, computerised tomography (CT) scan and a general practitioner (GP) appointment. Average costNew hospitalIt is not possible to define an average cost of a new hospital, as the cost is dependent on significant variables relating to the type of hospital (and therefore complexity of plant, ventilation systems, etc.), size and its associated physical conditions.Hospital upgradeThe average cost of a scheme in the National Health Service upgrades programme is around £20 million, with significant variation across schemes on cost and type of upgrade.MRI machineThere are different specifications of machine and therefore a range of prices, but current purchase costs before the cost of fitting is approximately £1 million.CT scannerThere are different specifications of machine and therefore a range of prices, but current purchase costs before the cost of fitting is approximately £800,000.GP appointmentData not held.

Social Services: Pay

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of wages of social care staff on staff morale.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made.

Health and Social Services: Pay and Training

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the (a) skills and (b) pay of (i) social care staff and (ii) NHS staff undertaking similar work.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made.

Medicine: Higher Education

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February to Question 132369 on Medicine: Higher Education, whether those higher educational institutions which can demonstrate that they are able to admit more medical and dentistry students without reducing the required quality of placement will be permitted to offer additional medical and dental student places.

Will Quince: The Government is committed to ensuring that the number of medical school places is in line with England’s workforce requirements.We have committed to publishing a workforce plan this year. The plan is currently in development. The plan will include independently verified forecasts for the number of healthcare professionals required in future years, taking account of improvements in retention and productivity. The workforce plan is for the whole of the National Health Service workforce, including dental care professionals.

Ovarian Cancer

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Helen Whately: We encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice or are worried about symptoms that could be cancer. NHS England is running the ‘Help Us, Help You’ (HUHY) campaigns, which seeks to address the barriers that are deterring patients from accessing the National Health Service. A campaign on abdominal and urological symptoms launched on 31 October 2022 and ran through to December 2022, addressing symptoms of ovarian cancer. NHS England is in the process of planning HUHY activity for 2023/24.

Emergency Calls: Standards

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the average wait time between making a 999 call for medical emergencies and an ambulance arriving at the scene in (a) January 2022, (b) June 2022 and (c) December 2022.

Will Quince: The information requested is publicly available and can be accessed here:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

Department of Health and Social Care: Health and Safety

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has contracted work to a business that has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive within the last three years.

Will Quince: No.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 21 June 2022 to Question 16924 on Breast Cancer: Screening, what steps he is taking to incentivise Community Diagnostic Centres to offer of diagnostic mammography services.

Neil O'Brien: £2.3 billion was awarded at the Spending Review in 2021 to transform diagnostic services over the next three years. Most of this will help increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, expanding and protecting elective planned diagnostic services. The remainder of the funding will increase capacity for imaging, endoscopy as well as lung and mammography screening, and improve digital diagnostics. Integrated care systems are responsible for ensuring their patients have adequate access to diagnostic mammography services according to local need.NHS England has asked all CDCs in geographies with high cancer backlogs to prioritise capacity within imaging and endoscopy to accelerate diagnosis for people currently awaiting diagnostic treatment within the 62 day backlog. Remaining CDC revenue funding is being prioritised for this purpose.

Babies: Blood Tests

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including metachromatic leukodystrophy in the newborn blood spot test; and whether the UK National Screening Committee is expected to report on that issue.

Neil O'Brien: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has not yet reviewed the evidence for including metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) in National Health Service newborn blood spot screening. It was, however, sent a request to review the possibility of including the condition as part of its annual call for new screening topics, which it is currently evaluating.Individuals can sign up to receive alerts when the UK NSC starts reviewing any new condition, including MLD, via the UK NSC website.

Autism: Children

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that adequate mental health care is available for children with autism and those awaiting autism diagnoses.

Maria Caulfield: The transformation of Children and Young People’s Mental Health services is a priority for the National Health Service. We are increasing access to support for those that need it, including autistic children and children with a learning disability with mental health needs. The NHS Long Term Plan, includes a commitment that an additional 345,000 children and young people aged 0 to 25 years old will have access to NHS-funded mental health support, including in new Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges, by 2024.For people and families who are waiting to have an autism assessment, we know that this is a challenge. NHS England is currently developing a national framework to support partners in local areas to commission and deliver autism assessment services for children, young people and adults. The aim of this work is to improve access to and the quality of these assessment processes and to reduce the time that people wait for an assessment. The framework will be published in due course.

Endometriosis: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to women with ovarian cysts.

Maria Caulfield: Patient-facing information on causes, diagnosis and treatment for ovarian cysts is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ovarian-cyst/Most ovarian cysts occur naturally and go away in a few months without needing any treatment. Diagnosis of ovarian cysts is usually via ultrasound scan. If cysts are found, management or treatment would be determined by the features of the cysts.

Maternity Services: Drugs

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that women in labour have access to (a) adequate pain relief and (b) entonox.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that medical staff in maternity wards are protected from prolonged exposure to unsafe levels of nitrous oxide.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England has been working with the trusts where gas and air supplies have been affected due to differing and localised issues. Guidance has been published to support Trusts in responding to issues raised in relation to gas and air usage and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/guidance-on-minimising-time-weighted-exposure-to-nitrous-oxide-in-healthcare-settings-in-england/Some trusts have taken a decision to temporarily suspend the use of gas and air within their maternity units due to concerns of over exposure of gas and air for staff. Once a trust takes the decision to suspend the use of gas and air it is expected that they implement locally agreed solutions that enable them to continue to provide safe and personalised care to women. Trusts are expected to undertake a full risk assessment in line with guidance to demonstrate the rationale for suspension of use and mitigations to address this.

Bereavement Counselling: Ealing Central and Acton

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of bereavement support in Ealing Central and Acton constituency for parents and families following baby loss.

Maria Caulfield: The Government funded the Stillbirths and Neonatal Death charity (SANDs) to work with other baby loss charities and Royal Colleges to produce and support the roll-out of a National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP). The pathway covers a range of circumstances of a baby loss including miscarriage, stillbirth, termination of pregnancy for medical reasons, neonatal death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). As of 1 January 2023, 108 NHS England Trusts (84%) have committed to adopting the nine NBCP standards. 21 Trusts, including London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, are yet to do so, and NBCP England continue to push for their inclusion.

Maternity Services: Infectious Diseases

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department has (a) funded and (b) commissioned on the risk of antimicrobial-resistant healthcare-acquired infections in maternity wards.

Maria Caulfield: UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has undertaken a number of investigations, including with international and academic partners to better understand the acquisition and prevention of healthcare associated infections (HCAI), particularly around surgical site infections post-caesarean section and maternal sepsis. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds two NIHR Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs) in HCAIs and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). NIHR HPRUs are research partnerships between universities and UKHSA. One of these, led by Imperial College and UKHSA, is delivering a study on improving hospital infection prevention and control practices in neonates.In 2016, the NIHR funded a £965,630.44 study looking at the accuracy of a rapid intrapartum test for maternal group B streptococcal colonisation and its potential to reduce antibiotic usage in mothers with risk factors. In 2018, NIHR funded research looking at AMR in neonates and neonatal nasogastric tubes through the NIHR Great Ormond Street and the Southampton Biomedical Research Centres.

Prescriptions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his Department's policy that patients who have received a diagnosis from a private healthcare provider can receive NHS prescriptions.

Will Quince: Where a diagnosis has been received from a private provider, we would expect an National Health Service clinician to satisfy themselves that the diagnosis was clinically appropriate for their patient. They may require information from the private provider to assess whether the diagnosis was reached in line with local and national guidance relevant to that condition.Guidance for NHS patients who wish to pay for additional private treatment should be considered and is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/nhs-services-and-treatments/if-i-pay-for-private-treatment-how-will-my-nhs-care-be-affected.

NHS England: Civil Servants

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Ministerial direction was issued to move NHS England civil servants into his Department's offices.

Will Quince: No ministerial direction was issued to move NHS England staff into the Department’s offices.

Department for Education

Initial Teacher Training Market Review

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department conducted an equality impact assessment in advance of its most recent round of Initial Teacher Training accreditation.

Nick Gibb: In the 2019 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, the Department committed to reviewing the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) market, with the aim to make it work more effectively.The subsequent ITT accreditation process was recommended by an expert advisory group and implemented following public consultation. It was designed to assess capacity to deliver high quality, reformed ITT from September 2024, in line with the new Quality Requirements identified in the advisory group’s ITT market review, as opposed to assessing the quality of current or past provision.The Department considered all the issues raised during the consultation and engagement with the sector. In addition, the Department specifically invited views through the consultation on potential consequences of implementing the proposed Quality Requirements in relation to equalities issues. The Department also undertook an assessment of the potential equalities impacts of the reforms, and published ‘The ITT market review report - equalities impact assessment’. This report is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1037339/Government_response_to_the_initial_teacher_training__ITT__market_review_report_-_equalities_impact_assessment.pdf.Reforms to the ITT market will help all trainees across the country receive quality ITT provision and further support at every stage of their teaching career.

Special Educational Needs: Pre-school Education

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Education Health and Care assessments are carried out in Early Years Education.

Claire Coutinho: On 2 March 2023, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, which sets out the next steps we will take to deliver a more positive experience for children, young people and families.The department will establish a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with SEND so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for adulthood and employment. For those children and young people with SEND who do require an education, health, and care (EHC) assessment, we have set out our vision for a reformed and consistent EHC plan process which will include early years education. This will ensure that children and young people with SEND get prompt access to the support they need, and that parents don’t face an adversarial system to secure this.The department recognises the important role of the early years sector in the early identification of needs and in building up effective working relationships with parents about their child’s needs.Early intervention is crucial, which is why, as part of the £180 million early years recovery programme, we are funding up to 5,000 early years staff to gain an accredited level 3 Special Education Needs Coordinator qualification to support the early years sector, help identify children who need support, and provide expert advice.High needs funding will also be at £10.1 billion in 2023/24 which is an increase of over 50% from the 2019/20 allocations.Local authorities will be able to use this funding to support children and young people with SEND in mainstream schools and elsewhere, including those in early years and requiring an EHC plan or assessment.

Pupil Premium: Finance

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to increase the level of the national funding rate for early years pupil premium in the financial year 2023-24; and if she will make a statement.

Claire Coutinho: The early years pupil premium currently provides 60 pence per hour additional funding to support better outcomes for disadvantaged three and four-year-olds. This is equivalent to up to £342 per eligible child per year.On 16 December, the department published the 2023/24 hourly funding rates for local authorities for early years. We also announced in a written ministerial statement that the early years pupil premium for 2023/24 will be increased to 62 pence per hour. This is equivalent to up to £353 per eligible child per year.The full ministerial statement is available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-12-16/hlws447.

Children: Social Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s consultation entitled Guide for children and young people: Stable Homes, Built on Love, published on 2 February 2023, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating funding under the Families First for Children Pathfinder to York.

Claire Coutinho: The Families First for Children pathfinder will work with up to 12 local areas to co-design and deliver end-to-end service reform, implementing new Family Help services, child protection arrangements and support for kinship care. In September 2023, the department will launch the first wave of Pathfinders. These areas have not yet been selected. Further information on the selection of the local areas will be available shortly.

Childcare: Students

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 25 February 2021 to Question 155406 on Children: Day Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the 30 hours of free childcare a week to full-time postgraduate students.

Claire Coutinho: The government is not currently planning to extend the 30 hours of free childcare a week. However, the department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and we provide a range of support for students in further or higher education to assist them with childcare.All parents are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all three and four-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.Working parents of three and four-year-olds may be eligible for an additional 15 hours of free childcare if they earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at national minimum or living wage and under £100,000 per year. This entitlement aims to help working parents with the costs of childcare, so they can take up paid work if they want to, or work additional hours. Students who participate in paid work in addition to their studies and meet the income requirements will be eligible for the additional hours.Parents who meet these income criteria may also be able to receive support from Tax Free Childcare, which can be worth up to £2,000 per year for children aged 0-11, or up to £4,000 per year for disabled children until the age of 17.In addition to the above, eligible students starting a postgraduate master’s degree can receive a postgraduate master’s loan of up to £11,836 for students starting their courses in the 2022/23 academic year. The loan is intended as a contribution to the cost of study, rather than to specifically cover tuition fees or livings costs.Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

Electrical Engineering: Vocational Guidance

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to take steps to encourage students to pursue a career in electric technology.

Robert Halfon: The government is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over this Parliament to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that addresses skills gaps and boosts productivity. We are working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors, such as engineering, digital, clean energy, and manufacturing.The department is investing in Institutes of Technology, which are leaders in the provision of high-quality, higher level technical education and training across a range of STEM occupations and industries.We have worked with employers to develop over 350 apprenticeship standards in STEM. There are apprenticeship opportunities available relating to careers in electric technology, for example the electrical or electronic technical support engineer apprenticeship. These same employer-led standards have shaped the design of T Levels, new Level 3 qualifications for 16-19 year olds that reflect modern industrial practice and include a 45 day industry placement. 14 of the 24 T Levels being rolled out are in STEM subjects, from Science to Digital Business Services, Engineering Design and Development to Onsite Construction.The department is delivering supply and demand side reforms to reverse the decline in uptake of high-quality higher technical education. We’ve announced approximately £70 million to date in funding to prime further education (FE) and higher education higher technical provision across the country.Central to our reforms is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These are current (and new) level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE) as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. HTQ rollout is on track. They began teaching from September 2022, starting with Digital HTQs, and all occupational routes are due to be rolled out by 2025, where relevant occupational standards are available. To date, 106 qualifications have been approved as HTQs across Digital, Construction, and Health & Science routes, for teaching this year or next. Over 70 providers were able to deliver HTQs from September 2022, with the majority being FE colleges. We have introduced an HTQ brand and are improving communication, advice, and guidance. From 2023/24, HTQ student finance will be on a par with degrees.

Initial Teacher Training Market Review

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department conducted an Equality Impact Assessment for the most recent round of Initial Teacher Training accreditation.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of its most recent round of Initial Teacher Training accreditation on recruitment in STEM subjects.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the the potential impact of the initial Teacher Training Market Review on its objective to recruit more teachers from diverse backgrounds.

Nick Gibb: In the 2019 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, the Department committed to reviewing the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) market, with the aim to make it more effective.The subsequent ITT accreditation process was recommended by an expert advisory group and implemented following public consultation. The process was designed to assess providers’ capacity to deliver high quality, reformed ITT from September 2024, in line with the new Quality Requirements identified in the advisory group’s ITT Market Review.The consultation invited views on any impact people considered could arise from implementation of the proposed Quality Requirements in relation to equalities issues. The Department also assessed the potential equalities impacts of the reforms and published the findings here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1037339/Government_response_to_the_initial_teacher_training__ITT__market_review_report_-_equalities_impact_assessment.pdf.The Department continues to provide support to attract the best possible candidates to teacher training. £181 million has been made available in bursaries and scholarships to attract trainee teachers in high priority subjects for the 2023/24 academic year, which is a £52 million increase on the current academic year. As graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects attract the highest salaries outside teaching, the Department is offering a £27,000 tax free bursary and a £29,000 tax free scholarship in chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics. In addition, a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax free annually is available for maths, physics, chemistry and computing teachers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools early in their career. This reflects the priority the Department places on training teachers to teach STEM subjects and on supporting the recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in the subjects, schools and areas that need them most.The Department wants to attract and retain diverse, talented teachers from all backgrounds and support all teachers in their career journeys. The Department is committed to dismantling the stereotype of what a good teacher looks like and supporting people into teaching, regardless of their gender or background.The new Apply for Teacher Training service, rolled out in October 2021, will allow the Department to collect more data, giving a greater insight into candidate behaviour and the behaviour of providers of teacher training, so that the Department can identify barriers and work to address them. The Department will continue to work closely with ITT providers to explore, design and test new interventions to ensure teaching is an inclusive career that is open to candidates from all backgrounds.

Students: Debts

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a debt forgiveness programme for students who were financially affected by covid.

Robert Halfon: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the government was clear that universities were expected to maintain academic standards and the quantity of tuition should not drop. All universities were expected to continue to deliver excellent learning, in line with guidance from the Office for Students, to provide students with a full experience.The tuition fee and student loan system in England is designed to be sustainable, fair to students and taxpayers, while ensuring that those who benefit financially from higher education make a fair contribution towards its cost.Borrowers are only liable to repay after leaving study when earning over the relevant repayment threshold. The student finance system continues to protect lower earners and borrowers who experience a reduction in their income. Repayments are calculated as a fixed percentage of earnings above the relevant repayment threshold (£27,295 for a post-2012 undergraduate plan and £21,000 for a post graduate loan), and do not change as a result of interest rate charges or the amount borrowed. If a borrower’s income drops, so does the amount they repay. If income is below the relevant repayment threshold, or a borrower is not earning, then they do not have to make repayments at all. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off after the loan term ends (or in the case of death or disability), at no detriment to the borrower.To further protect borrowers, the government, by law, must cap maximum student loan rates to ensure the interest rate charged on the loan is in line with market rates for comparable unsecured personal loans. On 8 February 2023, the Student Loan Company announced that the interest on Plan 2 and Plan 3 student loan repayments will be capped to 6.9% from 1 March 2023. Without this cap, student loan borrowers may have faced interest rates between 9 to 12%.

Special Educational Needs

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussion she has had with school leaders on the the oversubscription of children with special educational needs and disabilities in state-funded schools.

Claire Coutinho: The department engages regularly with school leaders and their representatives on a wide range of issues, including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient good school places for all pupils, including those with SEND. They are statutorily required to keep the services and provision for children and young people with SEND under review, including its sufficiency.Nationally, 16% of pupils are identified with some form of SEND, three quarters of whom receive SEND support from their mainstream school, funded from its own resources.In March 2022, the department announced High Needs Provision Capital Allocations amounting to over £1.4 billion of new investment. This funding is to support local authorities to deliver new places for academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25 and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require AP. This funding forms part of the £2.6 billion we are investing between 2022 and 2025 and represents a significant investment in new high needs provision. This will also deliver up to 60 new special and AP free schools, in addition to the 48 special free schools that are already in the pipeline.The SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out how the government intends to support schools to meet the special educational needs of their pupils.

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February to Question 135464 on Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment, for what reason the School Workforce Census not collect data on the numbers of teachers of the deaf employed by schools and local authorities; and if she will make it her policy to collect this information.

Claire Coutinho: Information on the school workforce in England is collected as part of the annual School Workforce Census each November. Information is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication. This is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.Information on the qualifications held by teachers is collected in the annual census. In the subject categories, qualifications to teach children with a hearing impairment would come under the broader category of ‘SEN – Sensory impairment’, which covers other sensory impairments such as visual and multi-sensory impairments.There are currently no plans to change the collected list of qualification subjects to identify qualifications relating to sensory impairments at a more granular level.The department is firmly committed to ensuring that children with special educational needs and disabilities, including hearing impairments, receive the support they need to achieve in their early years, at school and college.

Mathematics: Higher Education

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the potential reductions to university mathematics departments including Birkbeck University on the UK’s status in science and technology.

Robert Halfon: Higher education (HE) providers are independent, autonomous institutions responsible for their own decisions on staffing issues, including how they structure themselves to deliver research and teaching priorities. Where it is necessary to reshape their activities, it is important that universities carefully consider the impact of job losses on staff and students and the overall sustainability of teaching and research.The department will continue to work closely with the Office for Students (OfS) and various parties including a variety of HE providers across the sector, mission groups and other government departments to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the HE sector. The OfS collects financial data from HE providers, and analyse this to ensure they have an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector. Where the OfS identifies concerns about the financial viability of an HE provider, they will implement enhanced monitoring of that provider.The government is committed to securing the UK’s status as a science and technology superpower, and in doing so, levelling up across the country. To achieve this, the department is investing in programmes that aim to achieve this at all levels of education, such as the Prime Minister’s recently announced mission to ensure all pupils study some form of maths up to the age of 18. Additionally, the department is investing in science, technology, engineering and maths in higher education, with an additional £750 million over the next three years to support high quality teaching and facilities including in science and engineering, subjects that support the NHS, and degree apprenticeships. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade. Several government strategies are also in place to support the science and technology superpower ambition and levelling up aims, including the UK Innovation Strategy (2021), the National AI Strategy (2021), and the UK Digital Strategy (2022). These strategies set out how we will strengthen our reserves of talent and skills in order to drive success.

Academies: Supply Teachers

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many supply teachers were employed by academies in England in each year since 2017.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of supply teachers is not collected by the Department. The Department does collect the number of occasional teachers. Occasional teachers are those that have a contract or service agreement with a school but are not in regular service (regular service being a contract of over 28 days). In 2021/22 (latest available figures) there were 14,513 occasional teachers in state-funded schools in England.

Free School Meals: Disability

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of barriers to disabled children accessing free school meals.

Nick Gibb: The provision of Free School Meals (FSM) to children from households that are out of work or on low income is important to the Government. The latest statistics indicate that 39.7% of pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan, and 36.4% of pupils with special educational needs support, were eligible for FSM in 2022. More information is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2021-22.The Government spends around £1.5 billion per year so children have access to nutritious food during the school day and in the holidays. Around 1.9 million disadvantaged pupils are eligible for FSM, as well as an additional 1.25 million infants who receive a free meal under the universal infant FSM policy. Together, this provides support to over one third of all pupils in schools.

Qualifications: Finance

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing funding for applied general qualifications on school and college finances.

Robert Halfon: The department’s reforms aim to place our world class A levels and T Levels at the heart of study programmes.The department has invested over £31 million to support teachers and leaders through the T Level Professional Development programme, £240 million to develop capacity to deliver T Levels, including industry placements, and over £400 million in capital funding. We have recently announced an Employer Support Fund to enable providers to reimburse employers for costs incurred in delivering Industry Placements in the 2023/24 financial year, worth around £12 million.In addition, and in parallel with the development of T Levels, the T Level Transition Programme (TLTP) has been specifically designed to support students who want to take a T Level, but who may not be ready to go straight onto a T Level following GCSEs.The reforms will not end all Applied General qualifications. They allow for large alternative academic qualifications, such as BTECs, in areas like music and sport because they are not well served by A levels or T Levels. They also allow for small alternative academic qualifications, such as BTECs, in strategically important areas such as health and science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The department would expect new technical qualifications to be made available in areas not covered by T Levels. There are now over 650 occupational standards which have been led by employers to ensure that technical education, including T Levels and apprenticeships, support the development of skills that employers need.The department is continuously working with providers and umbrella organisations to support the move to the new system, including discussing the changes with colleges in their annual strategic conversations.

Schools: Buildings

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2023 to Question 135240 on Schools: Houghton and Sunderland South, how many (a) civil servants and (b) hours of civil service time were spent on the preparation of the Condition Data Collection reports.

Nick Gibb: Preparation of reports for schools and responsible bodies for the first Condition Data Collection (CDC1), from 2017 to 2019, included input from civil servants and suppliers working on the programme, including four surveying organisations, a Technical Services Manager and an IT provider. The data for each report underwent robust quality assurance prior to a timely release to schools and responsible bodies.There were five Full Time Equivalent civil servants working on the preparation of CDC1 reports.The Department does not hold historical records on the number of hours civil servants specifically spent on report preparation for CDC1. For the successor programme, CDC2, the Department estimates that it took 814 hours of civil service time on the preparation of reports that were released in December 2022.

Universities: British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department provides support to universities located in the British Overseas Territories.

Robert Halfon: The department does not provide support to universities located in the British Overseas Territories.

T-levels

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which qualifications were identified as not overlapping with wave 1 and 2 T levels by the independent assessors commissioned by her Department to work on the review of Level 3 qualifications.

Robert Halfon: From the 2,000 qualifications that are available at Level 3, approximately 700 qualifications were identified which may overlap with wave 1 and 2 T Levels. Following an independent assessment, approximately 500 of these qualifications were found to not meet the 3 overlap tests. After moderation of these independent decisions was carried out by officials, a provisional overlap list of 160 qualifications was published in May 2022. Awarding organisations were given the opportunity to appeal before a final list of 106 qualifications was published in October 2022. This list excluded qualifications overlapping with the Health and Science T Levels, due to an ongoing review by the Institute for Apprenticeship and Technical Education. The final list of qualifications which have been assessed as overlapping with the Health and Science T Levels will be published shortly.Further information can be found in guidance from the department, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-post-16-qualifications-at-level-3-in-england--2.

Schools: Lavatories

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to schools on bathroom policies.

Nick Gibb: The Behaviour in Schools guidance (2022) supports schools to manage behaviour, so that schools are calm, safe and supportive environments, where pupils and staff are respected.The Department trusts school leaders to develop tailored policies on the use of toilets which reflect their school’s individual contexts and needs. The advice on Standards for school premises (2015) is clear that suitable toilet and washing facilities must be provided for the sole use of pupils.It is for schools to find reasonable ways, in accordance with the law, to balance every child’s right to access clean and safe toilet facilities when they need them, with every child’s right to have a safe and calm environment to learn in.In the rare cases where parents or children may have concerns, they should speak to their school in the first instance.

Initial Teacher Training Market Review: Regional Planning and Development

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential contribution of its Initial Teacher Training Market Review on the Government's Levelling Up agenda.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the most recent round of Initial Teacher Training accreditation on recruitment in STEM subjects.

Nick Gibb: Quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for children. Reforms to the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) market will help all trainees across the country receive quality ITT provision and further support at every stage of their teaching career. The reforms are a significant step in the delivery of the Department’s programme to create a world class teacher development system.The Department remains committed to supporting the supply of high quality teacher training in all areas of the country. 179 providers have been accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024, following a rigorous accreditation process designed to drive up the quality and consistency of ITT leading to Qualified Teacher Status. These providers cover all regions of the country and include new entrants to the market. The Department will continue to monitor the market and review its implementation measures to ensure that there is sufficient provision of consistently high performing ITT provision, in all subjects, driven by demand.The Department continues to provide significant support to attract the best possible candidates into teacher training. £181 million has been made available in bursaries and scholarships to attract trainee teachers in high priority subjects for the 2023/24 academic year, a £52 million increase on the current academic year. As graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects attract the highest salaries outside teaching, the Department is offering a £27,000 tax-free bursary and a £29,000 tax-free scholarship in chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics. In addition, a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free annually is available for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools early in their career. This reflects the priority the Department places on training teachers to teach STEM subjects. It will also support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in the subjects, schools and areas that need them most.

Publications: Children

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support (a) World Book Day and (b) initiatives that help ensure access to books for children regardless of (i) family circumstances, (ii) parents’ educational background and (iii) household income.

Nick Gibb: World Book Day is a memorable day for many children across the country. Knowing that strong literacy skills are hugely important, both as a pupil and later in life, the curriculum places a greater focus on reading and requires pupils to study a range of books, poems, and plays to encourage the development of a life long love of literature.The Department’s reading framework, published in 2021, provides guidance to schools on the teaching of early reading. It supports teachers to ensure phonics is taught in a wider context and focuses on the contribution of talk and stories as well as phonics.Young people may access books through their school or local library, free of charge. Individual schools decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Many head teachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Governors: Length of Service

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time was for prison governors to be in post on 1 March 2023.

Damian Hinds: HMPPS workforce statistics data are published up to 31 December 2022.As of 31 December 2022, the average length of time spent in post for prison governors in England and Wales was 3.2 years.This is an increase of almost one year since 2010. The average length of tenure as governor was 2.3 years on 31 December 2010.This relates to Governing Governors only and does not include deputy governors temporarily covering this role.

Family Courts

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that experts who are called to instruct family court cases involving child residency are suitably (a) qualified and (b) regulated.

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that witnesses instructed in family court cases are (a) accredited by and (b) answerable to a regulatory body.

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to confer more powers on regulatory bodies to help ensure that experts providing testimony in family courts meet appropriate professional standards.

Mike Freer: It is a matter for the judiciary to determine which experts may be instructed to provide evidence in family law proceedings.Section 13 of the Children and Families Act 2014 makes provision in relation to the control of expert evidence in children proceedings. In addition, Practice Direction 25B sets out a duty on experts to comply with 11 specified standards, including evidencing their relevant experience which must be sufficient for the issues raised in the concerned case and a requirement to be up to date with continuing professional development appropriate to their discipline and expertise. If the expert’s area is regulated by a UK statutory body, they must confirm possession of a current licence to practice or equivalent. If the area is not regulated, then they must demonstrate appropriate qualifications and/or registration with a relevant professional body.

Office of the Public Guardian: Remote Working

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the working from home guidelines are for staff of the Office of the Public Guardian.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of the staff of the Office of the Public Guardian are working in the office.

Mike Freer: Hybrid working is available at OPG as a modern employer, subject to business area requirements and line manager’s discretion. A third of the roles in OPG (c. 600 out of 1,700) are not suitable for hybrid working. These roles are required to be undertaken full-time in the office. For example, in the operational unit responsible for the processing of Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA), there is a requirement for many of the core manual processes to be conducted from an office and space is prioritised in the office for these roles to be undertaken. Where OPG business areas are not directly involved in LPA processing activities, staff are required to attend an office for a minimum of two days each per week and have an obligation to attend the office when requested to do so by their line management unless a formal exemption is in place. At 7 February 2023, 1.4% of OPG staff had a formal exemption and the remaining 98.6% were required to work from the office at least two days a week.

Prisoners' Release

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners given Release On Temporary Licence in each year since 2010.

Damian Hinds: Data on Release on Temporary Licence is published regularly. The annual table (A3.7) has data covering the requested period: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1071787/Releases_2021.ods By providing opportunities to work, learn and build family ties, temporary release from prison helps ensure offenders don't return to crime when they leave prison. Evidence shows the vast majority abide by their temporary release conditions, with the compliance rate standing at well over 99%. Non-compliance is, and will continue to be, dealt with robustly.

Newbold Revel: Operating Costs

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost was to train each prison officer at HMPS College Newbold Revel as of 1 March 2023.

Damian Hinds: Prison officer training is delivered at numerous sites across England & Wales, including our training centre, Newbold Revel.The average cost to train one prison officer is £5,400 per learner, excluding consumable costs.

Prison Governors: Length of Service

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how long each Governor has been in post in each prison in England and Wales.

Damian Hinds: In line with statistical guidance and GDPR, this data cannot be released. As there is only one Governor per Prison, it would be possible to identify individuals due to the small sample sizes.

Newbold Revel: Operating Costs

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the annual cost of maintaining HMPS College Newbold Revel was as of 1 March 2023.

Damian Hinds: As of 1 March 2023, the cost of maintaining the building Newbold Revel in 2022/23 is £2.6m.

Crown Court: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time was for a case to reach a trial in the crown court in (a) York and (b) the UK in the latest period for which data is available.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time was for a case to be heard in a Magistrate's Court in (a) York and (b) the UK in the latest period for which data is available.

Mike Freer: We have interpreted ‘waiting time’ to mean “time between the date of sending a case to the Crown Court and the start of the substantive Crown Court hearing”, in line with usage in Criminal Court Statistics publications. Waiting times at Crown Court, for England and Wales overall, are published in the latest Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly to Q3 2022 (Table C7). The accompanying table includes a breakdown of the latest data for York. For magistrates’ courts, we publish information in our timeliness tools (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022) though there is no specific metric for waiting time at magistrates’ court. There will always be outstanding cases in the courts as these figures include cases that are being prepared to be heard in the courts. Pre-pandemic the outstanding caseload in the Crown Court was around 40,000, well within the range of 33,000 to 55,000 over the last decade. In Q4 2010, the outstanding caseload was 46,100. We are taking decisive action to reduce the outstanding caseload in the criminal courts. We are recruiting up to 1,000 judges across all jurisdictions in 2022/23 and have increased the judicial retirement age to 75 in 2021 to retain more experienced judges. We have also removed the limit on sitting days in the Crown Court for the second financial year in a row which will enable us to sit at maximum capacity. We have recently announced the continued use of 24 Nightingale courtrooms into the 2023/24 financial year.Average Waiting Times (xlsx, 101.2KB)

Powers of Attorney: Applications

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have applied for but not yet received a Lasting Power of Attorney..

Mike Freer: At 3 March 2023, a total of 401,196 applications for a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) were being processed by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). This included 163,279 applications that were in the statutory four-week waiting period for any objections to be lodged prior to registration. At 3 March 2023, the OPG had already registered 809,675 applications for an LPA in 2022/23. These figures exclude the registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney which, while valid, have been replaced by LPAs since the Mental Capacity Act 2005 came into effect.Customers are currently advised to allow up to 20 weeks for an LPA application to be processed, including the four-week waiting period. The OPG target to register LPAs is within an average of eight weeks. OPG staff are working day and night to register LPAs and extra staff have been hired, which is increasing the number of LPAs being registered each month.The government is also supporting the Powers of Attorney Bill which will enable a digitalised LPA application process, leading to a faster and simpler service for applicants in future.

Mining: Strikes

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals similar to those in the Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Bill.

Edward Argar: There are currently no plans to introduce legislative proposals similar to those in the Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Act 2022.

Courts: Fines

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the total value of court fines that have not been paid in each year since 2010.

Mike Freer: The table below details the balance of fine impositions outstanding for each financial year from 2010-11 to 2021-22, along with the amount of the original fine impositions made:Financial year fine was imposedFine impositions made in the financial year £000Balance of fine outstanding as at 31 March 2022 £0002010-11210,0107,5072011-12188,5308,2622012-13193,89710,2012013-14190,72812,7432014-15213,61122,9472015-16263,76343,3392016-17362,49056,5272017-18355,77397,7232018-19329,679100,0962019-20316,219127,2972020-21217,479118,1902021-22746,470274,842 Financial penalties imposed by the courts will often consist of multiple elements including, amongst others, compensation, victim surcharge, prosecutor’s costs and a fine. The imposition is enforced as a whole, and any receipts received are applied to the offender’s account in accordance with a strict legal hierarchy. This ensures that the victims receive any monies they are due first, with the fine element being the last to be collected. This can result in the fine element taking longer to be paid.Defendants may be allowed to pay their financial penalty through an attachment of earnings/benefits. For defendants who have multiple impositions, which have often been imposed over a period of years, the impositions are all consolidated into one account and a payment plan agreed for the total balance. This can result in an imposition taking a longer period of time to collect. The defendant will not necessarily be in default as their regular contributions will be paying off their compensation, victim surcharge and costs elements first.On average, by the time a financial penalty is 5 years old 80% of the total imposition will have been collected. This is therefore the why outstanding fines appear to be significantly higher in recent years.The Government takes the recovery and enforcement of all financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to ensuring impositions are paid. The courts will do everything within their powers to trace those who do not pay and use a variety of sanctions to ensure the recovery of criminal fines and financial penalties. These sanctions can include deducting money from an individual offender’s earnings or benefits, if they are unemployed, or issuing warrants instructing approved enforcement agents to seize and sell goods belonging to the offender. If the offender does not pay as ordered and the money cannot be recovered by other means, then the court can take other actions which includes sending them to prison for non-payment of the financial penalty including a fine.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2022 to Question 88792 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff, which overseas posts are staffed by one Diplomatic Service Officer.

David Rutley: There are 24 overseas posts that are staffed by one Diplomatic Service Officer. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office publishes a list of locations where there are HMG Overseas Missions that is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-foreign-office-postsThe FCDO's duty of care to its staff and security implications means the information on the specific posts in question is not suitable for public release.

Mexico: Elections

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of implications for his Department's policies of the demonstrations in Mexico relating to the resourcing of he National Electoral Institute.

David Rutley: Democracy and freedom are at the heart of the UK's values and FCDO global policy. They contribute to long-term prosperity and security; and democratic societies are the strongest supporters of an open and resilient international order. This policy has not been impacted by recent demonstrations in Mexico. Support for democratic principles in Mexico is a continuing priority for our Embassy, which regularly engages with the Mexican Government to underline the importance of strong institutions and free and fair elections.

Iran: Warships

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports that two Iranian navy vessels, The IRIS Makran and IRIS Dena, had docked in the Port of Rio de Janeiro.

David Rutley: The UK monitors Iran's activities throughout the world and we are aware of the movements of IRIS Makran and IRIS Dena. The UK will continue to counter any Iranian activity that threatens security or stability, the principles of human rights, democracy and rule of law or contravenes United Nation Security Council Resolutions, including through upholding international law.

Diplomatic Service

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a list of the UK diplomatic missions that have (a) opened and (b) closed in each of the last ten years.

David Rutley: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) publishes information about the UK's diplomatic representation overseas on GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-foreign-office-posts). Published lists date back to October 2014 and are regularly updated. The lists include all British Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates at the time of publication. Countries not included in a list did not have a permanent UK diplomatic presence at the time of publication.

Ecuador: Drugs

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Ecuadorian counterpart on tackling illegal drug trafficking.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to supporting Ecuador in its fight against drug trafficking and organised crime and to disrupt the supply chains that feed European and UK markets. Their fight against drug trafficking is also our fight. We have been working closely with Ecuadorean partners in tackling international organised crime since 2012. I [Minister Rutley] visited Ecuador in January where I held discussions with my Ecuadorean ministerial counterparts on the threat from serious organised crime and saw for myself some of the cooperation between HMG and the Ecuadorean authorities in the fight against the drugs trade.

Iran: Capital Punishment and Religious Freedom

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his counterparts in Iran to (a) press for an end to the death penalty for charges of blasphemy and (b) support greater freedom of religion and belief in that country.

David Rutley: The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. On 8 December and 9 January, the Foreign Secretary ordered the summoning of Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK, to protest Iran's continued imposition of the death penalty on protesters. Lord Ahmad also raised the death penalty with the Iranian Charge d'Affaires on 20 December. Promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a priority for the UK, including in Iran where religious minorities face systematic discrimination and harassment. In July 2022, we hosted the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in London. As an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country Iran was discussed in a number of different sessions. We raise our opposition to Iran's use of the death penalty, and its dire record on freedom of religion and belief, at all appropriate opportunities, including through our Ambassador in Tehran.

Alireza Akbari

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the execution of Alireza Akbari.

David Rutley: The execution of Mr Alireza Akbari, a British-Iranian national, was a barbaric act which deserves condemnation in the strongest possible terms. The Government's response - including designating Iran's prosecutor general under our Iran human rights regime and recalling our Ambassador to London for consultations - showed that the UK will not allow Iran's malign actions to go unchallenged. Mr Akbari's execution was a politically-motivated decision which exemplified the Iranian regime's disregard for human life. The UK is continuing our work, alongside partners, to hold the regime to account for its appalling human rights record and the violence it is inflicting on its own citizens.

Iran

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the potential risk of increased tensions between Iran and its neighbouring countries.

David Rutley: The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses the potential risk Iran poses to international and regional security with partners. Recently, he discussed this with G20 partners in India and in February, he met with his US, French and German counterparts in Munich to discuss Iran's nuclear escalation. He regularly consults his Israeli and Gulf counterparts including at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain in November 2022. The UK is working with a range of partners to hold Iran to account for breaches of UNSCRs and to address Iranian weapons proliferation.

Iran: Hezbollah

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Iranian counterpart on that country's financing of Hezbollah.

David Rutley: The Government condemns Iran's financial support to militant and proscribed groups, including Hizballah which compromises the region's security and escalates already high tensions, with consequences for the international community. In 2019, the UK made its position clear by proscribing Hizballah in its entirety and put an asset freeze in place due to Hizballah's terrorist activity. We support the enforcement of UN prohibitions on Iranian weapons proliferation to non-state actors, including to Hizballah (UNSCR 1701). Our assessment remains that a sovereign Lebanon with strong institutions is the best way to tackle Hizballah's influence in Lebanon.

West Bank: Health Services

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to increase UK aid to healthcare providers in the West Bank in response to increases in violence by Israeli (a) forces and (b) settlers in that region.

David Rutley: Although the UK no longer provides direct funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to support healthcare or healthcare workers, the UK recognises the importance of building the capability of Palestinian institutions to continue to provide essential services. We continue to work with the PA to improve its financial management and revenue collection. This will provide increased revenue to support service delivery, including for healthcare services. We are also working with the UN Development Programme to enhance transparency and accountability within the Palestinian healthcare sector. The UK is also a key donor to UNRWA, which helps 3.5 million Palestinian refugees across the region to access quality primary health services.

Question

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Figure 8 of the UK international climate finance results 2022, updated on 23 February 2023, what steps he is taking to make progress on the area of land where deforestation has been avoided (a) in the Congo Basin and (b) elsewhere.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK recognizes the critical importance of Congo Basin rainforests to tackling climate change, millions of forest dependent people and for biodiversity. At COP27, the Prime Minister announced a new £90 million programme to support forests and forest livelihoods in the Congo Basin, maintaining the momentum achieved at COP 26 where Congo basin forests were in the spotlight.At COP 26 the UK announced major new investments in forests including £1 billion over 10 years for programmes supporting sustainable economic growth and trade, livelihoods and forest governance.UK International Climate Finance (ICF) reaches those most in need and we are delivering on our pledge to spend 3 billion of our £11.6 billion ICF pledge between 2021/22 and 2025/26 on nature, including forests.

Northern Ireland Protocol: UK Internal Trade

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol on trade within the UK.

Leo Docherty: We have set out on many occasions the disruption in trade and other links between Northern Ireland and its most important market in Great Britain as a result of the old Protocol. That is why we have sought intensively to put in place the changes necessary to safeguard the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its parts. That is what we have delivered through our new Windsor Framework, which will restore the smooth flow of trade within the UK internal market; safeguard Northern Ireland's place in the Union; and address the democratic deficit.

Transcaucasus: Roads

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Azerbaijani counterpart on the Lachin Corridor Blockade.

Leo Docherty: On 22 and 23 February, I [Minister Docherty], met Azerbaijani counterparts in Baku including their Foreign Minister to discuss progress on peace discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the ongoing closure of the Lachin Corridor. This followed previous discussions that I had in London with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 6 February, the Armenian Ambassador on 7 February, the Azerbaijani Ambassador on 30 January and the Armenian Foreign Minister on 18 January. I hope to travel to Yerevan next month to continue these discussions. The UK Government remains committed to supporting Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Imports and Exports: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill contributes to removing obstacles to exports from and imports to Northern Ireland.

Leo Docherty: The Government has been clear that our preference was a negotiated solution to the challenges with the Protocol. Now that we have rewritten the Treaty text of the Protocol with binding legal changes, we have a better option. As the published statement of the Government's legal position sets out, because we have achieved a new negotiated agreement, which preserves the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, the original and sound legal justification for the Bill has fallen away. Neither do we need the Bill nor do we have a credible basis to pursue it. We will therefore no longer proceed with the Bill, and the EU will no longer proceed with legal actions against the UK. Instead, we will pursue the certainty of a new way forward with the Windsor framework.

Azerbaijan: Overseas Trade

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the value of trade between the UK and Azerbaijan.

Leo Docherty: In the four quarters to the end of Q3 2022, bilateral trade between the UK and Azerbaijan was £1.2 billion. The UK Government remains committed to supporting the development of trade between the UK and Azerbaijan in the coming years.

Northern Ireland Protocol

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill contributes to peace in Northern Ireland.

Leo Docherty: As the Prime Minister set out to parliament on 27 February, the Windsor Framework brings stability, durability and legal certainty in Northern Ireland.So therefore the Government will no longer proceed with the Bill and the EU will no longer proceed with their legal action against the UK.

Ministry of Defence

Veterans: Military Decorations

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veteran's badges have been issued in each year since 2004.

Alex Chalk: The attached table details the number of veterans badges which have been issued in each year since 2004.Numbers of Veterans Badges (xlsx, 26.5KB)

Veterans UK

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans and their family members have contacted Veterans UK in each year since 2010.

Alex Chalk: It is not possible to establish the number of individual contacts for the different services provided by Veterans UK. However, I can confirm the number of calls the Veterans UK helpline received and they are detailed in the table below. Data prior to 2017 is not held. Calendar year2017201820192020202120222023 to dateCalls offered142,806143,954123,80553,86334,94957,37611,857Calls answered130,225128,373129,42848,07433,97754,93210,851 In 2022 The Veterans Welfare Service has had 40,276 client interactions to date, and these include calls, emails and written correspondence.

Armed Forces

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2023 to Question 117547 on Armed Forces, if his Department will send the hon. Member for Ealing, Southall a copy of AGAI 57; and whether this AGAI covers the use of Standard Learning Credits.

Alex Chalk: The Private Office of the Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families sent a hard copy of the document in question on 17 January 2023 and emailed a seperate copy on 6 March. AGAI 57 does not cover the use of Standard Learning Credits. Standard Learning Credits policy is contained in JSP 822. There is no Army specific policy regarding Learning Credits.

Armed Forces: Housing

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 20 December 2022, Official Report, column 143, how many emergency calls to armed forces accommodation contractors have not been responded to and the issue made safe within two hours in each of the last twelve months.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 20 December 2022, Official Report, column 143, how many urgent calls to armed forces accommodation contractors have not been responded to and the issue made safe within forty-eight hours in each of the past twelve months.

Alex Chalk: It is taking time to collate the information needed to answer the hon. Member's questions. I will write to her, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House shortly.

St George's Barracks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of St George's Barracks, North Luffenham.

Alex Chalk: This information is publicly available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1087580/House_of_Commons_Report_-_June_2022.ods

Fulwood Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Fulwood Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Dale Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Clive Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Chetwynd Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Prince William of Gloucester Barracks.

Alex Chalk: This information is publicly available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1087580/House_of_Commons_Report_-_June_2022.ods

Gamecock Barracks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Gamecock Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Gamecock Barracks is 96.4 hectares in size. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of the site, as it has not been identified for disposal.

Claro Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Claro Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Imphal Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Deverell Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Harden Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Parsons Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Venning Barracks.

Alex Chalk: This information is publicly available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1087580/House_of_Commons_Report_-_June_2022.ods

DMS Whittington

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of DMS Whittington.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Beacon Barracks (MOD Stafford).

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Kendrew Barracks.

Alex Chalk: DMS Whittington is 261.8 hectares in size. Beacon Barracks is 175.4 hectares in size. Kendrew Barracks is 404.6 hectares in size. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of these sites, as they have not been identified for disposal.

Veterans: Pensions

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his Department's policy to pay previously agreed uplifts to the service pensions of former service personnel who are no longer domiciled in the UK.

Dr Andrew Murrison: When a member of the Armed Forces reaches their retirement age they receive one of the most generous pensions available in the UK. This fairly reflects the unique sacrifice they have provided their country throughout their career. Armed Forces pensions are claimed and paid in the same way no matter where a veteran chooses to live and uprated in-line with the consumer price index (CPI). The CPI rate used is the CPI headline rate for the September prior to the April adjustment the following year as announced by the Treasury. This is in line with the statutory requirement set out in the Pensions Increase Act 1971 and Social Security Pensions Act 1975.

Armed Forces and Veterans: Education

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department keeps a list of (a) approved and (b) unapproved (i) courses and (ii) subjects for Standard Learning Credits for (A) serving members of the armed forces and (B) veterans.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Standard Learning Credits (SLC) Scheme provides financial support throughout a Service persons’ career to enhance their educational and vocational achievements in service. It allows for multiple, small-scale learning purposes and courses that have been approved by their Line Manager and discussed with Education Staff as part of a Service persons’ Personal Development Plan. Veterans are not eligible for the SLC scheme unless specific criteria are met, as outlined in Joint Service Publication (JSP) 534 – Tri Service Resettlement and Employment Support Manual. The Ministry of Defence does not maintain a list of individual courses eligible for SLCs. Instead, Defence has criteria which a course must meet in order to be eligible for a Service person to use SLCs on. This is set out in JSP 882, Section 2.3 Eligibility to Claim: https://www.enhancedlearningcredits.com/uploads/documents/jsp_822_-_vol_9_-_elective_education_-_v5_-_sept_2022.pdf

Armed Forces: Housing

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 20 December 2022, Official Report, column 143, how many armed forces personnel are housed in accommodation which does not meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard.

Alex Chalk: 96% of Ministry of Defence Service Family Accommodation (SFA) meet or exceed the Government’s Decent Homes Standard. That amounts to almost 46,000 homes. It is Defence Infrastucture Organisation accommodation policy that no family should be moved into a home that is below the Decent Homes standard. In addition, such accommodation is required to meet statutory and mandatory housing safety requirements. As of 1 March 2023, 585 occupied SFA which met the standard at the point of allocation have since fallen below the Decent Homes standard. All are structurally safe and sound. Works are being planned at pace to return this housing to the appropriate standard.

Colchester Garrison

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Merville Barracks.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Kirkee Barracks.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) housing unit potential of McMunn Barracks.

Alex Chalk: It is not possible to separate Kirkee Barracks, McMunn Barracks and Merville Barracks as they form part of the wider Colchester Garrison, therefore their combined size in hectares is 254.834. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of these sites, as they have not been identified for disposal.

AWACS: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department expects to (a) take delivery of its first E-7A Wedgetail aircraft and (b) achieve Initial Operating Capability.

Alex Chalk: The first E-7 Wedgetail is expected to be delivered to the Ministry of Defence in 2024, following completion of its flight test programme and initial certification activity. Initial Operating Capability will follow three to six months after delivery. Analysis to determine the exact timing of the E-7 Wedgetail Initial Operating capability is ongoing, and will be confirmed when the Full Business Case is submitted in mid-2023.

Armed Forces

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the UK's military readiness.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence regularly assesses the adequacy of the UK's military readiness. The results of this robust process are reported to senior military officers and Ministers. In addition, routine wargaming tests our force structures and assumptions and this is supplemented by events to test specific capabilities and scenarios. These activities support the maintenance of readiness in response to evolving threats. Although Defence is facing unprecedented challenges, for example with the crisis in Ukraine, our Armed Forces are rising to the challenge and supporting like-minded allies and partners around the world. Despite the funding shortfall the Defence Secretary has been clear in setting out, the Armed Forces remain ready to defend the nation should they be called upon to do so.

Maindy Barracks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Maindy Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Brecon Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Kinloss Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Dreghorn Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Fort George; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Cameron Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service family accommodation and (b) single living accommodation units there are at Glencorse Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Victoria Barracks, Ballater; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Albermarle Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Alanbrooke Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Alma Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Bourlon Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Cambrai Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Dishforth Barracks, Thirsk; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Gaza Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Marne Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Garats Hay Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Gamecock Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Credenhill; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Carver Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Merville Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Kirkee Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service family accommodation and (b) single living accommodation units there are at McMunn Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Piave and Bapaume Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Somme Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Ypres Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Claro Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Imphal Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Deverell Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Harden Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Weeton Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Fulwood Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Dale Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Clive Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at DMS Whittington; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Chetwynd Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Prince William of Gloucester Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Parsons Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Venning Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Beacon Barracks (MOD Stafford); and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Kendrew Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at St George's Barracks, North Luffenham; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service family accommodation and (b) single living accommodation units there are at Roman Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service family accommodation and (b) single living accommodation units there are at Goojerat Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service family accommodation and (b) single living accommodation units there are at Bassingbourn Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service family accommodation and (b) single living accommodation units there are at Robertson Barracks; and how many personnel are based at that site.

Alex Chalk: I will write to the right hon and hon. Members and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Surveillance

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the findings in the recent report published by Big Brother Watch entitled Ministry of Truth: The Secretive Government Units Spying On Your Speech.

James Heappey: The Government takes disinformation and misinformation seriously and works with a range of partners, including social media platforms, civil society, and academia to tackle it. The report referenced examines the work of a number of counter-disinformation units across government, the operations of which are a matter for the owning government department. Any Defence assistance to other government departments is always delivered in a manner consistent with our legal and policy obligations. Furthermore I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer I gave on 14 February to Parliamentary Question UIN 135142.77th Brigade (docx, 21.7KB)

Afghanistan: Refugees

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department have made of the potential merits of establishing a process to review unsuccessful Additional Family Member decisions within the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy when additional evidence is made available by applicants.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence does recognise the potential merits of a reviews process for unsuccessful Additional Family Members applications in association with the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme.We are currently considering these and will provide an update in due course.

Armed Forces: France

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many French personnel are training in the UK with the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) RAF.

James Heappey: As part of our bilateral relationship UK and France offer reciprocal training opportunities within the Armed Forces. As at 2 March 2023, 14 French military personnel are undertaking training in the UK Armed Services: eight with the Royal Air Force and six at the tri-service Defence Academy.

Armed Forces: Germany

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many German personnel are training in the UK with the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) RAF.

James Heappey: As part of our bilateral relationship UK and Germany offer reciprocal training opportunities within the Armed Forces. As at 2 March 2023, 28 German military personnel are undertaking training in the UK Armed Services: one with the Royal Navy, four with the Army, 17 with the Royal Air Force, and six at the tri-service Defence Academy.

Military Alliances: Germany

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) signed bilateral agreements and (b) established frameworks does the UK Armed Forces have with the German Armed Forces on defence cooperation.

James Heappey: The UK's extensive bilateral defence relationship with Germany is driven forward by the 2018 Joint Vision Statement which provides a framework for activity across all three Services, and a wide range of thematic areas. Beneath this we have a significant number of bilateral agreements, Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), and Technical Agreements with Germany which enable specific areas of defence cooperation. Key agreements since 2010 are: Bilateral Agreements Operational Sea Training MOU (2009 - in process of being updated)Strategic Vision for Future Bilateral Cooperation between Armies (2015)Reciprocal Exchange of Navy Training School Personnel Technical Arrangement (2017). Takeoff and Landing Manoeuvres of Royal Navy Helicopters aboard a German Navy Ship in the context of the Flag Officer Sea Training from 5 April to 25 May 2017 and the exercise "The Bridge" MOU from 21 to 24 June 2017. Tri-Service Arrangement for Exchange of Personnel MOU (2018) Joint Declaration concerning the Assignment of a German Officer to the British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) in Abuja, Nigeria (2018) Technical Arrangement concerning Aircrew Training Cooperation (2019)Strategic Vision Statement for Bilateral Cooperation between the Armies (2020)Logistics Training and Exercising MOU (2022). Annual programme of work between Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC) and the Bundeswehr Office for Defence Planning (2022).

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Written Statement of 27 February 2023 on Additional Jobcentre Support – Pilot rollout, HCWS582, if he will publish the evidential basis for daily one to one work search conversations with work coaches increasing a claimant’s employability.

Guy Opperman: The Department has previously published evidence on the impact of Work Coach Support on Claimant outcomes including JSA Weekly Signing (2015) and the Intensive Activity Programme (2015) JSA Weekly Signing (2015): Jobseeker’s Allowance signing trials (publishing.service.gov.uk) Intensive Activity Programme (2015): Intensive Activity Programme trial evaluation: evidence synthesis (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Chemicals: Regulation

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) staffing and (b) other costs were incurred by the Health and Safety Executive for work relating to UK REACH in the (i) 2021-22 financial year and (ii) 2022-23 financial year to 31 January 2023.

Mims Davies: Please see the table below for costs relating to UK REACH. Financial YearStaff (£M)Other (£M)Total (£M)2021/2022£2.94£0£2.942022/2023 (to Jan 31)£3.2*£0.04£3.24*£40,000, relate to payroll and expenses costs for members of the REACH Independent Scientific Expert Pool who advise HSE on its UK REACH work.

Department for Work and Pensions: Publications

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his Department's policy to publish online editions of its Touchbase newsletter.

Mims Davies: Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites. DWP has no plans at present to publish the email newsletters on GOV.UK because: they can compete with other guidance in search results and make it harder for people to find the information they need.they can duplicate other content on GOV.UK which is against the GOV.UK proposition Guidance.older editions can become out of date and there is a high risk that people will act on out of date guidance.DWP focuses digital resources on making sure GOV.UK guidance is kept up to date Anyone can subscribe to receive Touchbase at Touchbase editions after March 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Universal Credit

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Written Statement of 27 February 2023 on Additional Jobcentre Support – Pilot rollout, HCWS582, how many two week periods of daily one to one work search conversations with work coaches a claimant will be required to submit as part of the Additional Jobcentre Support pilot.

Guy Opperman: The Pilot started 9 days ago. Claimants could potentially participate in the Additional Jobcentre Support Pilot twice, once at 13 weeks and then again at 26 weeks if they remain in the Intensive Work Search Regime and are still eligible for the intensive support. We will review this approach as the pilot progresses.

Pension Service: Telephone Services

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times there were technical problems with the Pension Service phone line in the last two weeks.

Laura Trott: There have been no technical problems with the Pension Service phone line. DWP continues to proactively monitor increased call demand following Martin Lewis’ broadcast on voluntary National Insurance contributions on 22 February. Collaborative working with HMRC continues. We have also introduced additional measures such as adapted in-call messaging and use of Social Media to improve customer experience. I am pleased to confirm that a Written Ministerial Statement has been made today by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury confirming that the deadline for contributions has been extended to 31 July. This is to ensure customers do not miss out on the opportunity to make voluntary NICs for the period between 5 April 2006 to the end of the 2016/17 tax year. All voluntary NICs payments for this period will now be accepted at the existing 2022/23 rates until the 31 July. This extension allows HMRC and DWP the time to process enquiries and payments to ensure people’s State Penson eligibility can be maximised.

Universal Credit

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Written Statement of 27 February 2023 on Additional Jobcentre Support – Pilot rollout, HCWS582, whether he discussed the scheme to recognise and reward jobcentre teams who furthest exceed their aspirational targets with (a) PCS union and (b) other staff representative bodies before its publication.

Guy Opperman: Additional Jobcentre support and the provision of incentives for teams who furthest exceed their aspirational targets were discussed with the Trade Unions recognised within DWP: PCS, Prospect and FDA. DWP met with these Unions at Departmental level on three occasions ahead of launching the Jobcentre Innovation Challenge. Trade Unions were given the opportunity to review and comment on internal products and communications.

Pension Service: Telephone Services

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times calls to the Pension Service phone line were disconnected in each of the last two weeks.

Laura Trott: The Department does not hold information on calls that were disconnected. DWP continues to proactively monitor increased call demand following the broadcast on 22 February. Collaborative working with HMRC continues. We have also introduced additional measures such as adapted in-call messaging and use of Social Media to improve customer experience. I am pleased to confirm that a Written Ministerial Statement has been made today by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury confirming that the deadline for contributions has been extended to 31 July. This is to ensure customers do not miss out on the opportunity to make voluntary NICs for the period between 5 April 2006 to the end of the 2016/17 tax year. All voluntary NICs payments for this period will now be accepted at the existing 2022/23 rates until the 31 July. This extension allows HMRC and DWP the time to process enquiries and payments to ensure people’s State Penson eligibility can be maximised.

Universal Credit: Deductions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Universal Credit claims were subject to deductions in the most recent month for which data is available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much was the (a) total and (b) average sum of deductions in each constituency; and what proportion of those sums was deducted to repay advance payments.

Guy Opperman: The requested analysis of Universal Credit claims with a payment due in November 2022 by Parliamentary Constituency in Great Britain (GB) is provided in the separate spreadsheet. Data for November 2022 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics.Attachment (xlsx, 365.4KB)

Pension Service: Telephone Services

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of prospective pensioners who would benefit from contacting the Pension Service to establish the contributions they can pay before 5 April 2023.

Laura Trott: It is not possible to estimate the number of people who would benefit from contacting the Pensions Service in relation to voluntary National Insurance Contributions and filling gaps between 2006 and 2016. This is because it is not possible to know all the variables in an individual’s circumstances (including their future employment record) that would mean they would benefit from filling past gaps in their National Insurance records. DWP advise customers to use the online Check your State Pension forecast service to get a personalised State Pension forecast. This gives the customer their expected State Pension entitlement based on their National Insurance (NI) record, and a forecast entitlement if they fill all the Qualifying Years available to them. Once they have done this, if people are below State Pension age, they can contact the Future Pension Centre to find out if they will benefit from voluntary contributions. If they have reached State Pension age, they can contact the Pensions Service. I am pleased to confirm that a Written Ministerial Statement has been made today by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury confirming that the deadline for contributions has been extended to 31 July. This is to ensure customers do not miss out on the opportunity to make voluntary NICs for the period between 5 April 2006 to the end of the 2016/17 tax year. All voluntary NICs payments for this period will now be accepted at the existing 2022/23 rates until the 31 July. This extension allows HMRC and DWP the time to process enquiries and payments to ensure people’s State Penson eligibility can be maximised.

Universal Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 27 February 2023, HCWS582, on Additional Jobcentre Support: Pilot Roll-out, how many and what proportion of claimants at the (a) Coalville, (b) Crawley, (c) Partick and (d) Pontefract jobcentres entered employment after participating in the original Additional Jobcentre Support pilot; how many and what proportion of claimants at those jobcentres who did not take part in the pilot entered employment in the same period; and if he will make a comparative assessment of those figures.

Guy Opperman: The Department is monitoring the pilot. Evaluation is ongoing.

Children: Maintenance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Ninth Report of the Committee of Public Accounts published on 22 June 2022, HC 255, and the Treasury Minute published on 14 October 2022, HC 255, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations on (a) low customer satisfaction and (b) slow enforcement timescales.

Mims Davies: The department has made the following progress in relation to customer satisfaction and enforcement timescales: Customer SatisfactionWe continue to improve services including digital through the wider Departmental Service Modernisation.Services that have been made available online are therefore accessible 24/7 and, in many cases, now delivered via automation making them faster and more responsive.The introduction of online Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance service providing support to separated parents in managing their own affairs as well as making the CMS more accessible.A wider organisational redesign is underway with a key priority to improve customer experience.Use of the DWP customer experience survey to track satisfaction levels and provide insight.The Department’s 2020/21 Customer Experience Survey and the CMS Customer Experience Survey are currently unpublished, so we are unable to share the findings at this time. The reason for the delay is because of the impacts of Covid on the survey, resulting in an extended QA process. Steps are in place to publish the findings and the final sign off procedures are currently taking place within the Department, with the intention to publish by Summer 2023.The Child Maintenance Service recently piloted ‘Real Time Customer Feedback’ on behalf of the department to better understand customer experience.Customers were given the opportunity to rate the service immediately after their contact with the department and provide narrative feedback on their experience. As this feedback has been provided in real time, where service concerns or failures were identified Child Maintenance colleagues were able to go back to the customer to further resolve their enquiry, improving customer service outcomes as well as providing valuable learning to improve our service offering. This pilot is currently supporting a business case for wider rollout.Sessions planned in March for MP researchers to support them in constituency casework relating to Child Maintenance. EnforcementWe are committed to making the most effective use of our strong enforcement powers and have made a number of improvements to our processes.Our strategy is to tackle breakdowns at earliest opportunity and use preferred Method of Payments (Deductions of Earnings Orders/Direct Debits) which achieve a higher rate of compliance, whilst agreeing more sustainable ongoing payments.Deduction from earnings orders processes have been simplified to increase efficiency of this process.  Improvements have been introduced to the way employers make DEO payments through CMS to get money to families quicker by reducing or removing any manual intervention in allocating a payment.We have also brought forward the point at which we make deductions from bank accounts. This has not only increased the volume of deductions from bank accounts but also means we are getting money to children more quickly.A Private Members’ Bill (PMB) to streamline CMS enforcement, sponsored by Siobhan Baillie, had its Second Reading stage on 9 December 2022. The PMB removes the requirement to make court applications for liability orders which enable the CMS to progress with enforcement action, thus improving the efficiency of the enforcement process.

Universal Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 27 February 2023, HCWS582, on Additional Jobcentre Support: Pilot Roll-out, whether he plans to deploy additional staff to the 60 jobcentres involved in the pilot.

Guy Opperman: The pilot is being delivered using our existing Jobcentre resource within each of the pilot areas.

Universal Credit

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Written Statement of 27 February 2023 on Additional Jobcentre Support – Pilot rollout, HCWS582, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the standards of advice and decisions provided by Job Centre staff are maintained under the proposed scheme to recognise and reward jobcentre teams who furthest exceed their aspirational targets.

Guy Opperman: Guidance has been provided to Jobcentre colleagues to ensure service standards continue to be maintained.

Universal Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 27 February 2023 on Additional Jobcentre Support: Pilot rollout, HCWS582, what steps his Department plans to take to make adjustments for people who are unable to attend face-to-face appointments.

Guy Opperman: To ensure that claimants can attend these appointments our Work Coaches will continue to tailor support based on the claimant’s needs and the eligibility criteria set for the pilot. The Flexible Support Fund can assist with additional travel costs when requested, following our usual process.

Universal Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 27 February 2023 on Additional Jobcentre Support: Pilot rollout, HCWS582, what estimate he has made of the number of claimants who will be required to undertake enhanced daily work-focused support.

Guy Opperman: The eligibility criteria are designed to focus this support on claimants who are able to start work but struggling to find work or increase their earnings. Vulnerable claimants, and those whose circumstances prevent them from being available for work are not required to participate.

Universal Credit

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Written Statement of 27 February 2023 on Additional Jobcentre Support – Pilot rollout, HCWS582, what assessment he has made of the affordability of travel for claimants to attend daily one to one work search conversations with work coaches as part of the Additional Jobcentre Support pilot.

Guy Opperman: Claimants will be reimbursed for additional travel costs to Jobcentre appointments, over and above their weekly/fortnightly attendance, during the two-week period of intensive support.

Department for Work and Pensions: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he next plans to meet with the Ministerial Disability Champions.

Tom Pursglove: I am looking forward to meeting with the Ministerial Disability Champions at a roundtable on Tuesday 14 March 2023.

Access to Work Programme: Carers

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the Access to Work scheme for carers.

Tom Pursglove: Access to Work (ATW) is a demand-led, discretionary grant that supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in sustainable, paid employment. The grant contributes to the disability related extra costs of working faced by disabled people, and those with a health condition in the workplace, that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments, but it does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments. Where a carer, with a physical or mental health condition or disability that means they need support to work, is in paid work, or about to return to paid work in the next 12 weeks, they are able to apply for support from Access to Work.Details on eligibility and how to apply can be found at https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work.

Access to Work Programme

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications made to the Access to Work Scheme had not been processed within the service delivery period in each month from January 2022 to date; and how many of those applications related to (a) claims for payment of existing awards, (b) new awards, (c) renewals, (d) changes of circumstance and (e) any other type of claim.

Tom Pursglove: The information requested about Access to Work applications that have been received but not processed within the service delivery period in each month from January 2022 to date; and how many of those applications related to (a) claims for payment of existing awards, (b) new awards, (c) renewals, (d) changes of circumstance and (e) any other type of claim, is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit (a) underpayments and (b) overpayments were made due to errors by his Department in each year since 2019.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of Universal Credit (a) underpayments and (b) overpayments made due to errors by his Department in each year since 2019.

Tom Pursglove: The department’s national statistics on ‘Fraud and Error in the Benefit System’ include estimates of UC official errors overpaid and underpaid. This is expressed in terms of both value, and as a percentage of cases with error. To be clear, the percentages of cases with error reflects the average cases incorrect at one time, rather than the total number of errors over the whole year. We express this as a percentage, rather than as a whole number. Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2021 to 2022 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). YearEstimated percentage of UC cases with underpayments caused by Official ErrorEstimated UC expenditure underpaid due to Official ErrorEstimated percentage of UC cases with overpayments caused by Official ErrorEstimated UC expenditure overpaid due to Official Error2019/202.6%0.5% (£90 million)4.1%1.3% (£250 million)2020/211.7%0.4% (£140 million)2.2%0.9% (£330 million)2021/222.3%0.3% (£140 million)2.6%0.7% (£270 million) The DWP has taken significant steps to ensure the accuracy of benefit payments and the vast majority of benefit expenditure is paid correctly. Our Targeted Case Review initiative will review 2 million UC cases over the next 5 years, checking entitlement and helping ensure people are getting the right amount of benefit. The department remains committed to working with anyone who is struggling with benefit debt deductions and encourages customers experiencing hardship to contact the DWP to discuss their repayment plan.

Personal Independence Payment

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people claiming personal independence payments had their award assessed through (a) a telephone consultation and (b) an in-person assessment in the last 12 months.

Tom Pursglove: Please see the table below showing the number and proportion of all Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments (including new claims, award reviews and change of circumstance), that have been carried out by (a) telephone and (b) face-to-face for the period February 2022 to January 2023: ChannelFeb 2022 - Jan 2023Telephone661,620 (66.6% of all assessments)Face-to-face69,570 (7.0% of all assessments) Although not included in your question, we also conduct paper-based and video assessments, where appropriate, alongside telephone and face-to-face assessments as detailed below: ChannelFeb 2022 - Jan 2023Paper-based179,390 (18.1% of all assessments)Video69,140 (7.0% of all assessments) There were also 13,270 completed assessments (1.3%) for which we do not hold data.  Please note All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 10;All of the above data is derived from contractual management information (MI) produced by the assessment providers;The video and telephony MI is drawn from a variety of non-contractual products, some of which were only available weekly, therefore some aggregation has been applied;Contractual MI became available for Capita from May 2022 and for Independent Assessment Services from August 2022; andThe above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics publication standards.

Universal Credit

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that, when setting the qualifying dates for 2023/24 cost of living payments, Universal Credit claimants who are paid four-weekly and who are therefore not eligible for the Spring 2023 payment will be able to receive the Autumn 2023 and Spring 2024 payments.

Mims Davies: Last year we successfully delivered tens of millions of Cost of Living Payments by keeping the policy simple. Whatever eligibility dates are selected there will be always be some individuals who are ineligible in the qualifying period – whether that is due for example to their earnings, capital or other income, or for a combination of reasons. However, we are delivering the Cost of Living Payment in three separate payments over 2023/24 to reduce the chance of someone missing out altogether. For those who require additional support, we are extending the Household Support Fund throughout the next financial year. This will allow local authorities in England to help households with the cost of essentials including those in need who may not be eligible for the other support we have recently made available. The devolved administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dangerous Dogs

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to (a) tackle irresponsible dog ownership and (b) prevent dog attacks.

Rebecca Pow: In December 2021, Defra published research in collaboration with Middlesex University investigating measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog. In response to this research, we have established a Responsible Dog Ownership working group involving police, local authorities, and animal welfare organisations. Conclusions and policy reform recommendations are expected later this year.

Squirrels: Pest Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to control the grey squirrel population.

Trudy Harrison: The Government is committed to addressing grey squirrel impacts.   In 2019, the Government put in place the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order. Under the Order, listed invasive species, including the grey squirrel, cannot be imported, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, or released into the environment.   We announced in the England Trees Action Plan and Environment Improvement Plan that we will update the Grey Squirrel Action Plan. The Government has introduced Countryside Stewardship funding for grey squirrel control and management. We have also worked with stakeholders and the UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) on their England Red Squirrel Action Plan which was published in January this year and sets out the actions needed to guide red squirrel conservation and recovery. Alongside the UK Squirrel Accord, research into fertility control for grey squirrels to reduce local grey squirrel populations.

Crime: Rural Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle rural crime.

Trudy Harrison: This Government is committed to driving down rural crime. Our manifesto committed us to use police resources to tackle rural crime. As well as recruiting 20,000 additional police officers, we are also taking steps to address issues that we know affect rural communities. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act empowers and equips the police and courts with the powers they need to combat hare coursing, and the Government is supporting the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill, which aims to prevent the theft of quad bikes and All-Terrain Vehicles. The Government is also providing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit. In 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three year period of 2022-25. My Department continues to work closely with the Home Office on all matters relating to rural crime in England.

Food Supply

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure food security.

Mark Spencer: Food supply is one of the UK's 13 Critical National Infrastructure sectors. Defra and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are joint Lead Government Departments (LGDs), with Defra leading on supply and the FSA on food safety. As such we work closely with the Cabinet Office and other LGDs ensuring food supply is fully incorporated as part of emergency preparedness, including consideration of dependencies on other sectorsThe UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. This report will serve as an evidence base for future policy work.The capability, levers and expertise to respond to disruption lie with industry. Government's role is to support and enable an industry-led response. For example, the Government has taken steps to support energy costs, cut tariffs to reduce animal feed costs, improved avian influenza compensation schemes and taken a range of measures on fertilisers.Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. Defra also works with the Devolved Administrations at the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group.

Deposit Return Schemes: Scotland

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Scottish Government has submitted a request for a United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 exemption to implement a deposit return scheme in Scotland.

Rebecca Pow: At the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (IMG EFRA) on 6 March, UK Government ministers received a formal request setting out the scope and rationale for a UKIM exemption for the Scottish Government's deposit return scheme. It will now be considered by Ministers at the relevant Whitehall departments.

ELFBAR

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with representatives of Elfbar UK regarding the disposal of its products after use.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency has the responsibility for compliance monitoring registered producers under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations and for investigating and enforcing against producers that do not register.There have been no direct discussions between Defra and Elfbar but the Environment Agency has been informed that Green Fun Alliance Ltd import Elfbar products. Green Fun Alliance are registered as a producer under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations.

Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of single-use vaping devices thrown away each week; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of that waste.

Rebecca Pow: We are aware that the use of disposable vaping products has increased substantially in recent years and are considering the implications of this trend for the environment. We will consult on policies aimed at driving up levels of separate collection of electric and electronic waste, including vaping devices, later this year.

Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the efficacy of steps taken by manufacturers of disposable vaping products to reduce litter caused by disposal of their used products.

Rebecca Pow: The department has not made this assessment. All producers of disposable vapes have legal obligations arising from the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations relating to the collection and proper treatment of vapes when they become waste.

Food: Packaging

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) assess and (b) improve the accessibility of food packaging for blind and partially sighted people.

Mark Spencer: The availability and accessibility of essential food information to all consumers is vitally important. It is already a requirement that food information must be easily visible, clearly legible and where appropriate indelible, in addition to there being a required minimum font size for mandatory information.We are aware of moves by some retailers to provide information on food in braille format, and the government is interested in seeing how this works.We know there are other exciting possibilities, including the use of mobile phone apps and QR codes via which consumers with visual impairments may be able to access not only the basics, but the full range of information available on the label, as well as additional information provided via the App or QR code. This is clearly an area of interest with potential and one with which we will be engaging in the future.

Game: Birds

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will delay the opening of the woodcock shooting season to 1 December.

Trudy Harrison: Defra is committed to reviewing the protection we afford to wild birds listed on Schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which permits the hunting of a species listed on Part 1 outside of its close season. This review will seek to establish the evidence underpinning the listing of species such as the woodcock, so we can ensure that recreational shooting is sustainable and does not undermine species recovery. This might include amending the close season for native species such as the woodcock. Engagement with Natural England and the Devolved Administrations is already underway, and we anticipate meeting further with them and other key stakeholders to hear their views in the coming weeks. Once Natural England has completed its analysis, we will be considering if any changes ought to be made to Schedule 2.

Food: Prices

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help reduce food inflation.

Mark Spencer: I recognise the impact high food prices are having on household budgets. High food prices are the result of many different factors, including agri-food commodity import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and other manufacturing costs such as fuel and energy, as well as Sterling exchange rates. Of these factors, farmgate prices are seen to be the most influential driver of food prices.The Government has already committed £37 billion to support households with the current exceptionally high cost of living. £1 billion of this has gone towards help with the cost of household essentials.The most recent food inflation statistics published by the Office for National Statistics, showed that in January 2023, food inflation was 16.8%. Food inflation is higher than overall inflation given the multiple pressures across the food chain.The Government has little influence on consumer food prices. The UK has a very competitive food retail sector which helps to keep some downward pressure on food prices. We continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. To help with increased cost of living, retailers have introduced incentives for customers such as new reward cards offering discounts or “cashback” on future purchases. A number of stores are also offering meal deals either in store or within their cafes to help vulnerable groups.The Government has taken action to help alleviate inflationary pressure across the food chain by expanding the number of seasonal workers visas for horticulture to 45,000 this year and initiated an Independent Labour Review to provide recommendations on how labour pressures could be addressed. The Government has also provided energy bill support via the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, cut tariffs to reduce feed costs, improved avian influenza compensation schemes and taken a range of measures on fertilisers.

Peat Bogs: North of England

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of her Department’s long-term financial support for the Great North Bog Project.

Trudy Harrison: The Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMS) already pay for actions related to upland peat and moorlands, and we plan to extend the current offer including for new actions for restoring degraded peatland and maintaining restored peatland. The Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme – of which the Great North Bog is a recipient – has provided useful learning to inform ELMS, including for Landscape Recovery, which supports landscape-scale projects such as this.As ELMS will provide the main delivery mechanism for peatland restoration from 2025, we are working with our peatland restoration delivery partners to enable a smooth transition for these partners whose work is invaluable in meeting our ambitious peatland restoration targets.

Convention on Biological Diversity

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the UK plays a significant role in the implementation of Target 7 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Trudy Harrison: UK diplomatic leadership was critical to agreeing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and we will continue to champion the framework’s implementation. Target 7 is a global target for Parties to achieve by 2030, and includes the aim to reduce the overall risk of from pesticides by at least half globally and encourages the uptake of integrated pest management (IPM). IPM lies at the heart of the UK's approach to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides, both domestically and internationally. At home, we recently announced new paid IPM actions to be introduced to the SFI scheme this year. Farmers will be paid to complete an IPM assessment and produce an IPM plan; establish and maintain flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips; establish a companion crop and to move towards insecticide-free farming. Globally, we are working with international partners to phase out use of the most harmful pesticides. For example, we are working with partners in Vietnam on the safe and sustainable use of agricultural pesticides to minimise environmental contamination and health impacts. The pesticide specific indicator for Target 7 will be developed further over the coming year, informed by a group of independent global specialists. This is a global target, and we expect the steps needed to achieve it will vary by country, according to their current usage levels, and the agricultural and regulatory context.

Food Poverty

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Answer to the Question from the hon. Member for York Central on 23 February 2023, Official Report, column 301, on what evidential basis she said that working additional hours can help tackle food poverty.

Mark Spencer: The latest available data from the Department for Work and Pensions on in-work poverty shows that in 2019/20, working age adults in households where all adults were in work were six times less likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) than adults in a household where nobody works.    The data also shows that there was only a 3% chance of children being in poverty (absolute, before housing costs) where both parents worked full-time compared with 42% where one or more parents in a couple was in part-time work.

Livestock: Imports

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pre-notification submissions were made by UK importers to the IPAFFS system relating to the import of live animals from the EU and Common Veterinary Area, where certification (a) is required at the GB border and (b) remains suspended pending the full implementation of GB border checks in 2022.

Mark Spencer: Defra recorded 46773 pre-notification submissions from UK importers to the IPAFFS (Import of products, animals, food and feed system) for live animals. We are unable to break-down data on points a) and b).  Animals:2022Live AnimalsJan5477Feb4966Mar5608Apr4004May3462Jun3205Jul3012Aug2755Sep3377Oct3413Nov3592Dec3902Grand Total46773

Animal Products: Imports

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pre-notification submissions were made by UK importers to the IPAFFS system relating to the import of products of animal origin from the EU and Common Veterinary Area, where certification (a) is required at the GB border and (b) remains suspended pending the full implementation of GB border checks in 2022.

Mark Spencer: Defra recorded 746,479 pre-notification submissions from UK importers to the IPAFFS for products of animal origin (POAO). We are unable to break down data on points (a) and (b).  Animals:2022POAOJan48283Feb73718Mar83247Apr73456May76141Jun75111Jul72569Aug51484Sep51227Oct47198Nov49725Dec44320Grand Total746479

Home Office

Asylum: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question 131189 on Asylum: Children, whether she plans to hold discussions with the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees on missing asylum-seeking minors.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office engages with a range of internal and external stakeholders in relation to the provision of support and accommodation to destitute asylum seekers, through a variety of channels. UNHCR attend the Strategic Engagement Groups (SEG) which, together with the associated sub-groups, are the Home Office’s (HO) principal engagement forums with external asylum and resettlement Non-Government Organisations (NGO) and voluntary sector stakeholders.

HM Passport Office: Staff

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport officers were employed by her Department in (a) January 2022, (b) June 2022 and (c) January 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The table below shows His Majesty’s Passport Office’s workforce as full-time equivalents for the requested months: Jan-22Jun-22Jan-23*Civil servant327436404006Non-civil servant11421403600Total441650434606*Restructuring between July and August 2022 caused around 300 full-time equivalent staff to be moved out of HM Passport Office to another part of the Home Office. These staff did not routinely process passport applications.

Asylum: Children

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 24 January 2023, Official Report, column 859, what recent progress she has made on ending the use of hotels for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Robert Jenrick: The rise in the number of small boat crossings has placed significant pressures on local authority care placements for young people. Out of necessity, and with the best interests of the child in mind, we have had no alternative but to temporarily use hotels to give some unaccompanied children a roof over their heads whilst local authority accommodation is found.We take the safety and welfare of those in our care seriously and the Home Office has robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure those in our accommodation are as safe and supported as possible as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.The National Transfer scheme (NTS) transferred 3,148 children to local authorities with children’s services between 1 July 2021 and 30 September 2022. We are providing local authorities with children’s services with an additional £15,000 for every eligible young person they take into their care from a dedicated UASC hotel, or the Reception and Safe Care Service in Kent, by the end of February 2023. We are providing local authorities with children’s services with £15,000 for every eligible young person they take into their care from a dedicated UASC hotel, or the Reception and Safe Care Service in Kent, by the end of February 2023.

Asylum: Hotels

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will provide additional funding to (a) local authorities, (b) support services and (c) NHS and healthcare providers for the operation of hotel asylum accommodation in South Cambridgeshire.

Robert Jenrick: Our accommodation providers are experienced and have a strong record of running these types of sites with minimal impact on local communities. All providers have the required policies and procedures in place around security, safeguarding, critical incident management, and health and safety. Security officials and support staff are also on site 24 hours a day and are obliged to immediately report any security incidents to the Home Office. If required, we work with the provider to put additional measures in place.

Passports: Applications

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications exceeded the standard processing time in 2022.

Robert Jenrick: Of the British passports issued in 2022, 325,748 were from standard UK applications that had taken longer than the current published processing time* guidance of ten weeks. This represents approximately 4.6% of the total passports printed under this service during that period.   His Majesty Passport Office have worked to rectify the issues experienced earlier in 2022 and are now routinely issuing passports within three weeks.   *The processing time includes 2-days for delivery of the passport to the customer.

Asylum: Housing

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has included provisions in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contract for when demand exceeds the supply that has been budgeted for; and what steps her Department took to negotiate and agree the new funding and performance indicators relating to that contract.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has provisions in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contract for when demand exceeds the supply that has been budgeted for. This is in the form of a Contract Change Note (CCN) where the authority may require, and the provider may request, a change within the contract.

Refugees: Biometric Residence Permits

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time is for a refugee to receive a Biometric Residence Permit after receiving refugee status.

Robert Jenrick: The waiting times for biometric residence permits (BRP) are dictated by the BRP production and delivery processes. Regarding the individual production time of each BRP from the time a decision is made, the information is not available publicly and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.We aim to deliver a BRP within 7 working days of the immigration decision. BRPs are produced at the secure delivery facility (Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA)) within 48 hours of the production request being made and are collected by our secure delivery partner the same day. Our secure delivery partner aims to attempt to deliver the BRPs within 48 hours of receipt of the BRPs. This equates to a minimum of 5 working days from date of production request being made to delivery of the BRP. We have added an additional 2 working days to the timeline advised to applicants to allow us to resolve any production issues.Since 1st April 2022, DVLA have produced all BRPs within 48 hours of the production request, with 97.7% being produced within 24 hours. Since 1st April 2022, our delivery partner attempted to deliver over 99% of BRPs within 48 hours, and delivered over 75% of BRPs successfully on first delivery attempt.The Home Office is developing a border and immigration system which will be digital by default. The ambition is to phase out physical documents such as biometric residence permits before the end of 2024 as we move towards a system of online evidence of immigration status (eVisas).

Immigration: EU Nationals

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU Settlement Scheme advice services funded by her Department will be continued in London beyond 31 March 2023.

Robert Jenrick: From the launch of the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) in March 2019 the Home Office has made available £29 million in grant funding to a nationwide network of now 60 civil society organisations. The network has supported more than 480,000 vulnerable individuals to apply to the EUSS.The Home Office is currently considering options for future support in line with changing demand.Alongside the grant-funded network, there is support for vulnerable individuals available through the Settlement Resolution Centre which provides telephone and email assistance to applicants, and We Are Digital which provides technical support for applicants in completing the online application process. There are also several hundred organisations registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner which provide immigration advice, including for those applying to the EUSS.

Asylum: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question 129805 on Asylum: Children, whether her Department has a risk register on unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors.

Robert Jenrick: We monitor risks towards unaccompanied asylum seeking children via a number of channels, including operational risk registers.

Discrimination

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle (a) discrimination on the basis of (i) race and (ii) religion and (b) the impact of that discrimination on victims.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government is committed to tackling all forms of discrimination, including that based on race and religion, which has no place in our society. We can achieve this by tackling discriminatory behaviour where it might exist and adopting policies that build trust and promote fairness.We have one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to protect communities from hostility, violence, and bigotry, and to deal with the perpetrators of hate crime.Inclusive Britain was published by the Cabinet Office, in response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities in March 2022. It sets out their action plan to tackle negative disparities, promote unity and build a fairer Britain for all.The Government Equalities Office lead on discrimination policy, including the Equalities Act 2010, which legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and wider society.

International Aid Transparency Initiative

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to resume reporting to the International Aid Transparency Initiative.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office are currently working to bring our published IATI reports up-to-date. Once this process is complete, we will look to recommence reporting our current spend on a regular basis.

Asylum: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2023 to Question 129806 on Asylum: Children, whether she plans to launch an inquiry into missing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Robert Jenrick: When any young person goes missing the ‘missing persons protocol’ is followed and led by our directly engaged social workers. A multi-agency, missing persons protocol is mobilised involving the police and the local authority, who have a shared statutory responsibility to safeguard all children including missing migrant children in order to establish their whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe.The MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed for any looked after child who goes missing from a care setting, including the unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) hotels.The Home Office and Department for Education (DfE) have established a UASC taskforce which was convened in November 2022 which has been meeting regularly. This multiagency taskforce includes representatives for the Home Office, DfE, Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUCH), the Association of Directors if Children’s Services (ACDS) and the Local Government Association (LGA) to consider strategic and tactical solutions to the management of UASC. It is co-chaired by DfE Permanent Secretary, Susan Acland-Hood and Home Office Second Permanent Secretary, Patricia Hayes.The Home Office will continue to address risks of young people going missing and work with partners to locate them if they do.

Biometric Residence Permits

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to biometric residence permits which were printed in the weeks commencing (a) 30 January 2023 and (b) 6 February 2023, what the average time taken was (i) from an immigration decision being made to a production request being submitted, (ii) from a production request being submitted to the permit being printed and (iii) from the permit being printed to the permit being received by the applicant.

Robert Jenrick: The waiting times for biometric residence permits (BRP) are dictated by the BRP production and delivery processes. Regarding the individual production time of each BRP from the time a decision is made, the information is not available publicly and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.We aim to deliver a BRP within 7 working days of the immigration decision. BRPs are produced at the secure delivery facility (Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA)) within 48 hours of the production request being made and are collected by our secure delivery partner the same day. Our secure delivery partner aims to attempt to deliver the BRPs within 48 hours of receipt of the BRPs. This equates to a minimum of 5 working days from date of production request being made to delivery of the BRP. We have added an additional 2 working days to the timeline advised to applicants to allow us to resolve any production issues.Since 1st April 2022, DVLA have produced all BRPs within 48 hours of the production request, with 97.7% being produced within 24 hours. Since 1st April 2022, our delivery partner attempted to deliver over 99% of BRPs within 48 hours, and delivered over 75% of BRPs successfully on first delivery attempt.

Fraud

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the average financial loss per fraud victim in 2022.

Tom Tugendhat: Fraud covers a diverse range of modus operandi and as a result losses incurred by victims can vary and there is no typical victim. Caution should therefore be applied in using data to generate an average loss figure.The Office for National Statistics publish annually the financial losses for fraud broken down into bands, Fraud victims incurred a financial loss in around two in three (64%) incidents in the year ending March 2022 Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales (TCSEW) (Nature of crime: fraud and computer misuse table 8a). Financial loss represents incidents where an amount of money or cash had been stolen or taken as a direct result of fraud, regardless of any later reimbursement, or any additional charges or costs incurred (such as bank charges, repair costs or replacement costs).In incidents for which victims suffered a financial loss:the average (median) loss being £79the majority (77%) incurred a loss of less than £250around 14% incurred a loss of between £250 and £999, and the remaining 9% incurred a loss of £1,000 or moreFinancial loss suffered by victims of fraud, Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales (TCSEW)Financial lossTotal proportion of fraudsPercentage of those frauds involving financial loss [note 1]Cumulative totalNo financial loss35.5[z][z]Less than £207.010.910.9£20 - £4915.924.735.6£50 - £9913.420.856.4£100 - £24913.621.177.5£250 - £4996.610.287.7£500 - £9992.33.691.2£1,000 - £2,4993.24.996.1£2,500 - £4,9991.52.398.4£5,000 - £9,9990.40.799.1£10,000 or more [note 5]0.60.9100.0Median loss [note 6] [note 7][z]£79[z]Unweighted base - number of incidents2,7081,653[z]Source: Office for National Statistics - Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales (TCSEW)Note 1: This represents incidents where an amount of money or cash had been stolen or taken as a direct result of fraud, regardless of any later reimbursement, or any additional charges or costs incurred (such as bank charges, repair costs or replacement costs).

Asylum: Children

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 24 January 2023, Official Report, column 861, whether the additional funding for local authorities to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children may be used to fund (a) host family, (b) social work and (c) other forms of support.

Robert Jenrick: The additional funding for local authorities to support Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) is part of a pilot scheme that was announced on 16 December 22. The pilot ran from 16 December 22 to 28 February 23.The additional funding intends to repurpose the money currently used to pay for hotels housing UASC and empower local authorities to invest in infrastructure helping to build placement capacity. The funding is not prescriptive – it can be used by local authorities to invest where it provides the greatest benefit to the unaccompanied children in their care, therefore, it is for the local authority to determine where this funding is best spent.The funding consists of a lump sum payment of £15,000 that accompanies the transfer of each unaccompanied asylum-seeking child to a Local Authority placement. To qualify for this funding the children must be transferred from a dedicated UASC hotel run by the Home Office or from the Kent Reception and Safe Care Service (RSCS). The pilot ran until the 28 February, and we are currently evaluating the impact, including developing case studies of best practice in how the funds have been used.

Passports: Applications

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications took longer than ten weeks to process in the final quarter of 2022.

Robert Jenrick: A passport is not issued until all checks upon an application are satisfactorily completed. A proportion of applicants will therefore not receive their passport within a guided processing time* due to the need for further information from the customer, or due to work to prevent passport fraud.Of the British passports issued in the final quarter of 2022, 26,160 were from standard UK applications that had taken longer than the current published processing time guidance of ten weeks. This represents approximately 2.5% of the total passports printed under this service during that period.*The processing time includes 2-days for delivery of the passport to the customer.

Criminal Investigation: Sanctions

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many criminal investigations into financial sanctions evasion have been initiated on the basis of Suspicious Activity Reports received by the Financial Intelligence Unit since February 2022.

Tom Tugendhat: Breaches of UK sanctions are reportable to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), not via the SARs regime, unless there are associated suspicions around money laundering.For reasons of operational security, we are not able to provide further details publicly.

Visas: British Nationality

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether financial exemptions are in place for low-income families when applying for a visa for a parent of a British national.

Robert Jenrick: Where the applicant is a parent of a child under 18, paragraph GEN 3.1 of Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules enables permission to be granted where an applicant does not meet the financial requirements and where there are exceptional circumstances which could mean a refusal would breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Appendix FM also contains an exemption from the minimum income requirement for those applying for a spouse, child or parent visa, where the sponsor is in receipt of certain benefits. Instead, they need to show that they can meet the adequate maintenance requirement, as set out in paragraph 12B of Appendix FM-SE to the Immigration Rules. The list of relevant benefits can be found in Appendix FM-SE to the Immigration Rules (Appendix FM-SE). Guidance on the adequate maintenance requirement is available online here: Appendix FM Section 1.7A Adequate maintenance and accommodation (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Immigration

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people who are eligible for the five-year route to settlement introduced in 2022 under Appendix Private Life to the Immigration Rules.

Robert Jenrick: Eligibility for the Private Life routes is set out in the Immigration Rules. Each application is considered on its merits and on a case by-case basis taking into account the individual circumstances.

Asylum: Hotels

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential changes in the level of employment in the hotel industry as a result of service changes related to the housing of asylum seekers.

Robert Jenrick: Hotels are under no obligation to contract with our providers. We cannot comment on any changes made to staffing levels as it is up to the hotel owner to deal with these.

Asylum: Children

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 24 January 2023, Official Report, column 859, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's safeguarding of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children housed in hotels.

Robert Jenrick: The rise in the number of small boat crossings has placed significant pressures on local authority care placements for young people. Out of necessity, and with the best interests of the child in mind, we have had no alternative but to temporarily use hotels to give unaccompanied children a roof over their heads whilst local authority accommodation is found.The safety and wellbeing of those in our care is our primary concern. Robust safeguarding and welfare procedures are in place to ensure all children and minors are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority. This includes support workers being onsite in the hotels 24 hours a day, including nurses and social workers. All contingency sites have security staff on site and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.Records are kept and monitored of children leaving and returning to the hotel. Support workers will accompany children off site on activities and social excursions, or where specific vulnerabilities are identified. All sites have security staff to ensure the safety and welfare of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.Local authorities have a statutory duty to protect all children, regardless of where they go missing from. In the concerning occasion when any child goes missing, regardless of their status, they work closely with other local agencies, including the police, to urgently establish their whereabouts and ensure they are safe.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Commonhold and Leasehold: Reform

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish a Government response to the consultation entitled Reforming the leasehold and commonhold systems in England and Wales, published on 11 January 2022.

Rachel Maclean: We will provide a response in due course.

Evictions

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on drafting legislation to fulfil the Government's commitment of abolishing no fault evictions in this Parliament.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on drafting legislation to fulfil the Government's commitment of only requiring one lifetime deposit in this Parliament.

Rachel Maclean: Everyone deserves to live in a safe and secure home and ensuring a fair deal for renters remains a priority for this government. The Queen's Speech committed to introducing a Renters Reform Bill that would repeal section 21 'no fault' evictions and we will do so as soon as time allows in this Parliament As set out in the Government's White Paper, 'A fairer private rented sector' last summer, the market has begun to develop innovative solutions to the specific affordability issues posed in the gap between deposits and several providers are now offering lifetime deposit solutions for tenants. Government announcements will be made in the usual way.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the average processing time is for Voter Authority Certificate applications.

Dehenna Davison: Applications for Voter Authority Certificates are processed by Electoral Registration Officers. This process involves reviewing the application and photograph and checking the applicant’s electoral registration status. Applicants must also provide their National Insurance number, which is checked against existing data sets, or other relevant documentary evidence where they are unable to provide this. Information on their average processing times is not held by the Department.

Electoral Register: Autism and Learning Disability

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to encourage people with (a) a learning disability and (b) autism to (i) register to vote and (ii) vote in elections.

Dehenna Davison: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 147371 on the 27 February 2023.

Social Rented Housing: Freedom of Information

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the written evidence submitted by the Information Commissioner’s Office to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee for its inquiry into the Regulation of Social Housing, RSH103, HC 18, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendation that registered social landlords be made subject to Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with the Scottish government on the implications of their decision to bring registered social landlords under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act in November 2019; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending this policy to the rest of the UK.

Dehenna Davison: Through the proposed Access to Information Scheme, private registered providers of social housing will have similar obligations as they would under FOIA (Freedom of Information Act 2000), enabling tenants to access information about their landlords.The department has had discussions with the Scottish Information Commissioner's Office over on the impact that extending Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) has had on Scottish private registered providers.

Church Urban Fund

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent engagement with the Church Urban Fund.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has taken recent steps with the Welsh Government to raise awareness of the contribution made by the Muslim community in (a) Newport West, (b) Wales and (c) UK.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has taken recent steps with the Welsh Government to raise awareness of the contribution made by the Jewish community in (a) Newport West, (b) Wales and (c) the UK.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken, including with the Welsh Government, to raise awareness of the role of the Sikh Community in (a) Newport West constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK.

Dehenna Davison: Faith and Belief is a devolved matter. This department engages regularly with the Welsh Government on a variety of mattersNationally, we recognise the contribution our faith and belief groups make. We remain committed to celebrating and promoting their contribution across the whole of the UK.Officials engage regularly with the Church Urban Fund.

Levelling Up Fund

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 150592 on the Levelling Up Fund, where in the referenced transcript is an apology in relation to the Levelling Up Fund as opposed to Investment Zones.

Dehenna Davison: Further to my answer to Question UIN 150592, I apologise to those local authorities that feel frustrated at having been unsuccessful in their levelling up bids or around their work on Investment Zones last autumn. As Hon Members are aware we received over £8 billion of bids for round two of the Levelling Up fund and although we are delighted that there is such widespread enthusiasm and interest in levelling up, inevitably many applicants were disappointed that they were not successful.However, as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 January, I am pleased to say there will be a third round of the Levelling Up Fund and we will outline more information on this in due course. Furthermore, at the Autumn Statement the Chancellor set out the government's intention to take forward a re-focused Investment Zone programme.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) recalculate funding formulas for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund before the next funding round.

Dehenna Davison: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a three year fund, meaning the current round will conclude in 2024/25 in line with the Spending Review period. Accordingly, local authorities have already been given allocations for the three years of the fund, up until March 2025.Funding for funds and programmes beyond 2025 is a matter for the 2024 Spending Review.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Universities

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Education of the potential impact of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund on replacing EU funding for universities.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund on (a) research, (b) innovation and (c) skills in universities.

Dehenna Davison: DLUHC recognises the important role of universities and has made them an integral part of local partnership groups in the development of UKSPF investment plans and ongoing delivery. Local authorities can choose to support research, innovation and skills in universities through interventions under the 'supporting local business' and 'people and skills' investment priorities. Universities are entitled to apply for UKSPF funding in their local areas.

Mayors

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has plans to establish a formal mechanism for Mayors with devolved powers to interact with his Department.

Dehenna Davison: Ministers and officials in DLUHC meet regularly with the mayors and their officers.

Infrastructure

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help improve delivery times for major infrastructure projects.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Statement, HCWS 575, made on 23 February 2023, which announced the publication of a cross Government Action Plan setting out reforms to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime that will seek to streamline and speed up the consenting process for such projects.

Heating: Housing

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the (a) Building Safety Act 2022 and (b) related regulation to introduce requirements for periodic hydronic balancing of hydronic domestic heating systems; and if he will make a statement.

Lee Rowley: The Government has no current plans to legislate to mandate periodic hydronic balancing of hydronic heating systems. Balancing of a heating system is something that is routinely done as part of a commissioning process and is therefore more suited to technical guidance. However, if my Hon. Friend would like to discuss this further I’m happy to meet with him.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

CCTV

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has a timetable for the introduction of legislative provisions on banning default passwords on CCTV doorbells and other relevant connectable or IoT products.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has a timetable for the introduction of legislative provisions which require CCTV Doorbells and relevant connectable or IoT products to have a vulnerability disclosure policy.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to lay regulations to set a time limit for provision of security updates for (a) CCTV doorbells and (b) other connectable or IoT products.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the cyber security of (a) CCTV doorbells and (b) other relevant connectable or IoT products.

Paul Scully: The government is committed to ensuring that the benefits that connectable technologies offer to individuals and the economy, are not at the expense of consumer security. The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act, which received Royal Assent in December 2022, will ensure that security requirements are met for consumer connectable products, including smart doorbells, sold to UK customers.Regulations will be made shortly to implement the new Act, making the UK market the first in the world to benefit from these new protections. Manufacturers of consumer connectable products sold to UK consumers will be required to stop using universal default and easily-guessable default passwords. Regulations will also require these manufacturers to publish a vulnerability disclosure policy on how security issues affecting their products can be reported to them, as well as information on the minimum length of time for which the manufacturer will provide security updates covering the product.

Horizon Europe: Northern Ireland Protocol

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether it was (a) her or (b) her predecessors policy to seek association with Horizon Europe once issues related to the Northern Ireland Protocol were resolved.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what her Department's planned timescale is for the implementation of the UK’s association to Horizon Europe; and for what reasons association has been delayed.

George Freeman: The Government’s position has, for two years since signing the TCA, been to associate with Horizon Europe for deeper innovation collaboration. The EU’s signal of openness to now renew those discussions is welcome, following two years of delays. We continue to be ready to work swiftly and constructively together on a range of issues including UK association, which will need to properly reflect the financial reality that we are now over 2 years into the 7 year programme and have had to commit significant funds to both the Horizon guarantee and support for the UK sector.

Nurses: Reviews

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when her Department will publish the findings of the 2022 Nurse review.

George Freeman: The Independent Review of the Research, Development, and Innovation Organisational Landscape was published on 6 March 2023:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-development-and-innovation-organisational-landscape-an-independent-review.

Broadband: Employment and Social Security Benefits

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will hold discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of increasing capital investment to ensure full broadband access to allow people to apply for (a) benefits and (b) jobs.

Paul Scully: My department engages with colleagues across Government, including Cabinet Office, to discuss matters relating to how we improve connectivity for the whole of the UK.Over 74% of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, up from 6% in January 2019. The competitive and pro-growth regulatory environment we have created has given investors the confidence to provide billions of pounds of investment to enable broadband suppliers to expand their networks across the UK. But we recognise that some parts of the country will not attract commercial investment and therefore we already have substantial capital investment programmes in place. Our £1 billion superfast programme has extended superfast broadband of at least 30 Mbps to over 97% of UK premises, and we are making excellent progress with Project Gigabit, the government’s £5 billion mission to deliver even faster, and more reliable broadband to rural and hard to reach parts of the UK.My department has negotiated a range of high-quality, low-cost fixed broadband and mobile social tariffs for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means tested benefits for as little as £10 per month. These offers are available in 99% of the UK.Support is also available for those seeking employment. Jobcentre Plus work coaches can provide free broadband connections for 6 months to eligible claimants who are not online. This is administered by the DWP’s Flexible Support Fund.

Semiconductors: Manufacturing Industries

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 150463, what steps her Department has taken to help increase domestic semiconductor production.

Paul Scully: On behalf of His Majesty’s Government, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has been leading a review of the semiconductor sector. DSIT has worked closely with departments across Whitehall throughout this process, to highlight the importance of semiconductors and their role for dependent sectors. We have been working together to improve the resilience and security of UK supply chains, protect our security and enable the sector to generate innovation-led economic growth.The government recognises the importance of the semiconductor industry to the UK and the forthcoming Semiconductor Strategy will set out our vision for the sector and how we will support the sector to grow, now and into the future.

Mobile Phones

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the cost of mobile phone contracts on (a) the affordability of such contracts and (b) connectivity; and if she will make a statement.

Paul Scully: Ofcom has a statutory duty to monitor affordability and pricing in the telecoms market. Its most recent Pricing Trends report found that mobile prices have continued to fall. The average monthly cost of a mobile service (excluding handset cost), was 12% lower in real terms compared to 2020, despite an estimated 52% increase in the average consumption of mobile data.We recognise that this is clearly a difficult time for families up and down the country who are struggling to pay their bills as a result of the global rise in the cost of living. While telecoms represents approximately 4% of a household's budget, Ofcom’s affordability tracker, updated in February, showed that 8% of individuals reported an issue with the cost of their mobile service in the month of January.In June 2022, DCMS convened a roundtable with leaders of the UK’s major broadband and mobile operators, agreeing a set of industry commitments to support people through the global rise in the cost of living, including more low-cost mobile offers.On 23 January, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport met with Chief Executives from major mobile providers and urged providers to think carefully about the need for these rises and the impact they have on households already struggling with the global rise in the cost of living.

Department for Business and Trade

UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of changes to the rules of origin in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU which are due to come into force on 1 January 2024; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Huddleston: The rules of origin we negotiated with the EU were developed in close consultation with stakeholders and designed to reflect the needs of UK-EU supply chains. For some sectors, such as electrified vehicles and batteries, we negotiated transitional rules until 2027 to help industry adapt to these new requirements. Department for Business and Trade officials are in regular dialogue with industry in these sectors to understand their readiness for upcoming changes.

UK Tradeshow Programme

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many small and medium-sized businesses made use of the UK Tradeshow Access Programme in each year of that programme's existence; and what was the cost of that programme in each year.

Nigel Huddleston: The Tradeshow Access Programme begin in 2006 and ceased in March 2021. The table shows the volume of businesses supported, and the overall programme costs, for each year of its existence.YearSupported BusinessesProgramme Spend2006/074,390£10.5m2007/083,500£8.5m2008/093,600£7.7m2009/104,100£8.4m2010/114,100£8.4m2011/123,200£6.7m2012/135,796£8.7m2013/149,427£16.2m2014/158,769£11.0m2015/165,837£9.1m2016/173,913£7.6m2017/183,292£6.5m2018/193,258£6.3m2019/202,538£5.0m2020/21*35£0.5m* Most international travel was suspended due to COVID-19.

Trade Promotion: Mongolia

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Mongolia was appointed; and how many times they have visited that country since their appointment.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Japan was appointed; and how many times they have visited that country since their appointment.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Nigeria was appointed; and how many times they have visited that country since their appointment.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Israel was appointed; and how many times they have visited that country since their appointment.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Australia was appointed; and how many times they have visited that country since their appointment.

Nigel Huddleston: The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys support the UK Government’s overall strategy to drive economic growth, promote UK trade and encourage inward investment. In addition to visiting their respective markets, Trade Envoys undertake a variety of activities including meeting UK companies, hosting inward delegations, and speaking engagements. Due to travel restrictions arising from the Coronavirus Pandemic, many visits to markets were disrupted and Trade Envoys had to work virtually or through other means, strengthening the relationships to support the Government’s trade and investment agenda.Trade EnvoyCountryAppointment DateNumber of VisitsDaniel Kawczynski MPMongoliaOctober 20202Greg Clark MPJapanMay 20220Helen Grant MPNigeriaNovember 20203Lord Austin of DudleyIsraelOctober 20203Lord Botham of RavensworthAustraliaAugust 20212

Companies: Exports

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many UK companies have exported internationally their goods of services under (a) 10, (b) 50, (c) 250, (d) 1000 and (d) 10,000 times in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Huddleston: There are no published statistics available to answer this question. Statistics are published on the value of UK exports of goods and services, and the number of businesses that are exporting goods and services: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-trade-in-numbers/uk-trade-in-numbers-web-version

Department for Business and Trade: Health and Safety

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has contracted work to a business that has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive within the last three years.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for Business and Trade, formerly the Department for International Trade has conducted a search of our databases for all contracts over £10k, resulting in a nil return. We confirm that the former Department for International Trade had not contracted work to a business that has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive within the last three years. Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Postal services: West Yorkshire

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of planned cuts to Royal Mail customer service points on other local services in (a) Huddersfield and (b) West Yorkshire.

Kevin Hollinrake: Decisions on the closure of customer service points are an operational matter for Royal Mail, provided they are consistent with Ofcom’s regulatory obligation on Royal Mail to provide access points for the universal service.While the Government has no role in Royal Mail’s operational decisions, I understand that Royal Mail has completed the first stage of its review of customer service points and decided to maintain the current estate.

British Steel: Scunthorpe

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed closure of the coking ovens at British Steel's Scunthorpe site on the level of UK demand for coking coal from the proposed Whitehaven mine.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The government has not made an assessment as we are not party to any commercial discussions between British Steel and the operator of the proposed Whitehaven mine. More broadly, the decision of the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities regarding the coal mine followed a comprehensive planning inquiry that heard from over 40 different witnesses and considered matters such as the demand for coking coal, climate change and impact on the local economy.

Mining: Seas and Oceans

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2023 to Question 148550 on Mining: Seas and Oceans, whether she has had recent discussions with the International Seabed Authority on environmental standards for (a) existing and (b) future commercial exploitation.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There is no deep-sea mining currently happening in areas beyond national jurisdictions, there are no exploitation licences for deep-sea mining, and no exploitation regulations have yet been agreed.In addition, the UK has committed not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep-sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep-sea ecosystems and strong and enforceable environmental regulations and standards have been developed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and are in place.

Department for Business and Trade: Information Commissioner's Office

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's data entitled BEIS: spending over £500, September 2022, for what purpose her Department spent £2,900 at the Information Commissioner's Office on 5 September 2022.

Nigel Huddleston: £2,900 was paid to the Information Commissioner’s Office to satisfy the department’s annual data protection fee as outlined in the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The amount is set by Parliament.

Future Fund

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 147247, what the total value of the Future Fund loans taken up by those 83 companies is.

Kevin Hollinrake: As of 31st December 2022, there were 83 companies in the Future Fund portfolio which have loans that have not converted into equity, and which have started Administration or other insolvency proceedings. The total Future Fund loan amount for these 83 loans is equal to £70,057,178.00.

Department for Business and Trade: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's data entitled BEIS: spending over £500, October 2022, for what purpose her Department spent £779.18 at Pret a Manger (Europe) Ltd London on 11 October 2022.

Nigel Huddleston: The former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spent £779.18 at Pret a Manger on catering for 120 people attending an all-day staff training event held off-site.

Department for Business and Trade: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's data entitled BEIS: spending over £500, September 2022, for what purpose her Department spent (a) £500 at the Information Commissioner's Office on 7 September 2022 and (b) £990 at Noble Macmillan on 12 September 2022.

Nigel Huddleston: a) The former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) did not spend £500 at the Information Commissioner’s Office in September 2022b) £990 was spent at Noble Macmillan on the purchase of books of condolence for all former BEIS offices following the death of HM The Queen.

Department for Business and Trade: Recruitment

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much her Department spent on recruitment consultants in each of the last three years.

Nigel Huddleston: Department for Business and Trade was created on 7 February in a Machinery of Government change. During the period in question, the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) were operating as two separate Departments. DIT expenditure was: £648,408.47. It is not possible to disaggregate the BEIS expenditure. DIT spend YearTotal Spend20/21£183,480.0021/22£161,970.7022/23 year to date 31/01/23£302,957.77Total£648,408.47

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Companies

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Government plans to take steps to require UK-based energy companies to remedy pollution in other countries as a result of their operations.

Graham Stuart: The Government supports work to reduce the environmental impact of energy companies. As part of the UK's international support for the clean energy transition, the Government provide technical or regulatory assistance that supports energy or emissions efficiency, health, safety, social and environmental standards. Where activities take place overseas however, it is for the relevant national authorities to determine what regulation should apply. It would not be appropriate for the UK to place additional and potentially conflicting conditions on such activities.

Fuel Poverty

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the Wise Group Fuel Poverty Report 2023.

Amanda Solloway: The Government recognises the work of The Wise Group and notes the recommendations of their Fuel Poverty Report 2023. The Government has acted quickly to tackle the inappropriate installation of prepayment meters and we are working closely with Ofgem on this important point. Additionally, whilst recognising the absolute need for long-term support, the Government’s short-term financial support for households has been pivotal in helping vulnerable households over the colder months. The Government will continue to work with a range of partners in finding the most effective ways of tackling fuel poverty and the wider cost of living challenges.

Energy: Disability

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to assess the needs of disabled people in the Government’s approach to supporting consumer protection in the energy markets.

Amanda Solloway: The Autumn Statement set out a commitment to work with consumer groups and industry to consider the best approach to consumer protection from April 2024, including options such as social tariffs, as part of wider retail market reforms. The Government is assessing evidence and options and discussing this with stakeholders. As part of this work, the Government is working with disability organisations, considering the costs for disabled people including those with medical equipment and assessing the need for support for disabled people including those using medical equipment in the home.

Fuel Poverty: Disability

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of fuel poverty on disabled people in England.

Amanda Solloway: The annual, official fuel poverty statistics for England were published on 28 February 2023, and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-fuel-poverty-statistics-report-2023 (detailed table 26). The statistics include the effect of high energy prices on fuel poor households, including fuel poor households who have a long-term illness or disability.

Energy Supply

Duncan Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February to Question 143891 on Energy, what the timeline is for publication of the Government's approach to delivering energy security.

Graham Stuart: The Government expects to publish soon, but is not able to confirm a more specific timeline.

Energy: Manufacturing Industries

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that energy costs for key industries are in line with other major economies.

Graham Stuart: The Government has announced a package of measures to support Britain’s strategic Energy Intensive Industries (EII) from high electricity prices from 2024 onwards. The British Industry Supercharger is a package of measures to remove policy costs to reduce the long-term electricity price gap that exists between UK EIIs and competitor countries.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what changes he has made to the eligibility criteria for the warm homes discount.

Amanda Solloway: The Government expanded the Warm Home Discount scheme across Great Britain to support more low-income households from this winter.The Government has also reformed the scheme in England and Wales. Previously, households had to apply to their energy supplier for a rebate under the Broader Group and rebates were often awarded on a first-come, first-served basis or at random. From this winter, to be eligible a household has to be in receipt of a qualifying means-tested benefit and living in a property which we have estimated to have relatively high heating costs. The majority of eligible households have received their rebates automatically.The Warm Home Discount scheme in Scotland is largely a continuation of the previous scheme.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the impact of changes to the warm homes discount eligibility criteria on the number of homes eligible for that discount.

Amanda Solloway: The Government expanded the Warm Home Discount from around £350 million to £475 million (in 2020 prices) to support more low-income and vulnerable households. The estimated impacts were set out in the final impact assessment published alongside the response to the consultation. The final figure for the amount of support delivered under the scheme in 2022/23 will be available in Ofgem’s annual report later in the year.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the number of previously eligible applicants who are now illegible to receive the warm homes discount.

Amanda Solloway: The Government has expanded the Warm Home Discount scheme this year to support more low-income and vulnerable households. The Government published impact assessments when consulting and publishing the Government’s response, which compared the option for reforming the scheme to continuing the previous scheme. As households previously applied through their suppliers, who set their own application processes and eligibility criteria and selected successful applicants each year, the Government has not been able to assess how many households previously eligible are no longer eligible.

Local Net Zero Forum

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing the local net zero forum on a statutory footing.

Graham Stuart: The Government recognises that local authorities can, and do, play an essential role in driving local climate action, with significant influence in many of the national priorities across energy, housing, and transport, which will be needed to achieve net zero.  The Net Zero Strategy sets out our commitments to enable local areas to deliver net zero. The Local Net Zero Forum has met three times at official level and held a ministerial level meeting on 9th February. There are no plans to make the Forum a statutory body.

Energy Price Guarantee

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the quarterly energy price cap update announced by Ofgem on 27 February 2023, if he will make it his policy to reduce the level of the Energy Price Guarantee in line with the reduction of the energy price cap between 1 April and 30 June 2023.

Amanda Solloway: As announced in the Autumn Statement in November, the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) will continue to limit the amount suppliers can charge per unit of energy from April. In April the EPG will bring a typical household bill to £3,000 per year. As the Energy Price Guarantee is lower than the price cap, households will continue to pay less for their energy than they would have otherwise with no Government intervention. From April the EPG will cost the taxpayer less than planned, whilst targeting support to those most in need.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress he has made on the Track 1 Power Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage selection process.

Graham Stuart: The Government launched the power BECCS project submission process on 22nd August 2022. This was for power BECCS projects seeking to join Track-1. The Government will provide an update on the outcome of the power BECCS project submission process in due course.Deployment of power BECCS will be contingent on the availability of relevant CO2 Transport and Storage infrastructure and an assessment of affordability and value for money before any decision to award business model support.

Heating: Housing

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of his Department's policy on periodic hydraulic balancing of hydronic domestic heating systems for ensuring that consumers’ fuel bills are minimised; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the hydronic balancing of hydronic domestic heating systems every time a fossil fuel boiler is installed or serviced; and if he will make a statement.

Graham Stuart: The Government is clear that hydraulic balancing is an expected practice to be completed by heating engineers when a heating appliance, including a natural gas boiler, is installed in a wet central heating system. The Government is seeking views on how to ensure hydraulic balancing and other installation practices take place at the time of install and how and whether to encourage hydraulic balancing as part of heating system servicing, through the consultation on Improving Boiler Standards and Efficiency, which closes on 21 March.

Biofuels: Prices

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of the price of biomass fuel.

Graham Stuart: The Department is reviewing evidence on biomass costs and undertaking analyses on uses of biomass to support the forthcoming Biomass Strategy, which will be published in Q2 2023.

Alternative Fuel Payments

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Alternative Fuel Payment Alternative Fund will open for applications.

Amanda Solloway: The Alternative Fuel Payment Portal opened for applications on Monday 6 March.

Alternative Fuel Payments

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans that all households eligible to receive the Alternative Fuel Payment automatically will have received that payment.

Amanda Solloway: Most eligible households should have received their Alternative Fuel Payment by Tuesday 28 February through their electricity supplier.

Energy: Billing

Sir Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to ensure that all domestic energy customers are offered the facility to pay energy bills by cheque; and if his Department will issue guidance to energy suppliers on enabling customer payment by cheque.

Amanda Solloway: The setting of tariffs, and associated payment methods, are a commercial decision for the energy companies. Regulation of the sector is the responsibility of independent regulator Ofgem.

Industrial Energy Transformation Fund

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to (a) extend the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund beyond 2027 or (b) provide a replacement to the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to help support business in their decarbonisation plans and UK industry develop and adopt green technology in the longer term.

Graham Stuart: The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund has supported a broad range of industrial companies of all sizes, both within and outside of industrial clusters since launching in 2020. After six successful application windows, the IETF closed to new applications on 17 February. Further support for industrial decarbonisation is being explored through the Energy Efficiency Taskforce, ensuring industry is supported to achieve Net Zero and Energy Security targets.

Cabinet Office

Veterans: Surveys

Derek Twigg: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish the results of the UK wide survey for veterans and their families.

Johnny Mercer: The Veterans’ Survey was the first UK-wide data collection from the veterans community that was led by the Government. It was a huge success, with more than 30,000 responses received.The results of the survey are expected to be available by autumn this year and will be published on the Office for National Statistics’ website in due course.In the meantime, we have recently launched the Veterans’ Data Dashboard, bringing together veterans’ data from different public bodies for the first time. The Dashboard will provide a snapshot to the public, veterans and service providers so they can learn about the community, as well as the different services offered by the Government to support veterans.

Government Departments: Email

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will provide a timeframe for updating the 2013 Cabinet Office guidance on use of private email accounts by Departments.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the Right Honourable Member to my reply to PQ 95849

Veterans' Health Innovation Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has taken recent steps to provide funding for the development of healthcare technologies for veterans through the Veterans’ Health Innovation Fund.

Johnny Mercer: Successful awards from the £5m Veterans' Health Innovation Fund were announced on 23 February 2023. The funding will support organisations that are developing cutting-edge technologies to help veterans with complex healthcare needs.Organisations across the UK were able to bid for £2.7m of the fund under four themes: Digital, data and technology; Surgical technology, bioengineering and rehabilitation with blast injuries; Public Health, pain management, hearing loss and visual impairment; and Female veterans. A further £2.3m was given to partners who are already carrying out excellent research in the veterans health sector.

Disability Unit: Staff

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been employed in the Disability Unit in each year since its creation.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of people employed by the Disability Unit have recorded that they have a disability.

Jeremy Quin: The Disability Unit was established in November 2019, when a Machinery of Government Change transferred officials from the former Office for Disability Issues (ODI) to the Cabinet Office from the Department for Work and Pensions to form the Disability Unit. 31/01/2020*31/12/202031/12/202131/12/2022Total16182825*Data was not held on our systems in December 2019 Of those that declared their disability status: 31/01/202031/12/202031/12/202131/12/2022Percentage yes50%38%44%50%Percentages exclude those who did not declare their disability status or who declared that they would prefer not to say.

Imports and Exports: San Marino

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the value of (a) imports and (b) exports between the UK and San Marino in each of the past five years.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 27 February is attached. ONS Response (pdf, 112.8KB)

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Prime Minister will make an assessment of the potential merits of modifying the ministerial code to (a) create a presumption against short-distance internal flights and (b) make it a breach to use short-distance internal flights where lower carbon alternatives are available.

Jeremy Quin: The Government’s position on domestic flights is outlined in my answer of 24 February 2023, PQ 143903. The Ministerial Code was last updated on 22 December 2022 and there are no plans for further updates.

Treasury

Tax Avoidance

Dave Doogan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2023 to Question 133676 on Tax Avoidance, how many people affected by the loan charge had been signposted to specialist Voluntary and Community organisations by the HMRC’s Extra Support teams.

Victoria Atkins: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold a breakdown of how many people affected by the loan charge have been signposted to specialist Voluntary and Community organisations by the Extra Support teams. For reasons of confidentiality HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not record personal circumstances, such as whether the query is related to the loan charge, when signposting taxpayers to Voluntary and Community organisations.

Development Banks

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) paid in and (b) callable capital the Government has subscribed under treaty obligations to multi-lateral development banks.

Andrew Griffith: The United Kingdom is a member of several multilateral development banks (MDBs). Depending on the bank, the paid-in and callable capital obligations appear in the published Annual Reports and Accounts of either the Foreign, Common and Development Office or HM Treasury. Treaty obligations between MDBs and member countries are usually denominated in US Dollars, so these Pound Sterling figures are approximations by necessity.

Development Banks

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the fiscal impact of using callable capital subscribed by the UK to multi-lateral development banks in order to increase the lending capacity of those banks.

Andrew Griffith: Callable capital is a unique instrument that many International Financial Institutions (IFIs) benefit from. HM Treasury and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office record callable capital as a remote contingent liability within their published annual reports and accounts. These remote contingent liabilities are subject to call only when required and to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the IFIs on borrowings of funds or guarantees. The equity base of each IFI allows the institutions to meet their financial objectives by absorbing risk out of their own resources and protecting member countries from a possible call on callable capital. No call has ever been made on the IFIs’ callable capital stock to date.

PAYE

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of HMRC in enforcing the agency regulations when collecting PAYE tax from agencies.

Victoria Atkins: Agencies must deduct Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) at source from payments of earnings to agency workers. HMRC’s processes for collecting any Income Tax and NICs due from agencies under Pay As You Earn (PAYE) are the same as those for other employers. Where HMRC finds that a UK agency has failed to account for Income Tax and NICs in circumstances where the agency rules apply to them, it will usually seek to recover unpaid amounts due from them. Whether the agency rules apply in a particular case is dependent on the facts of that case.

Tax Avoidance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2023 to Question 152309 on Tax Avoidance, how many people are subject to open compliance checks relating to disguised remuneration schemes used before 9 December 2010; and how many and what proportion of those people have been contacted by HMRC in relation to those checks within the last 12 (a) weeks and (b) months.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given on 01 March 2023 to UIN 152309. As part of its overall compliance processes and its commitment to update taxpayers at least annually, all of these taxpayers should have received correspondence from HM Revenue & Customs in the last 12 months.

Leisure: Energy

David Warburton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to support public sector leisure and sports centres with energy costs in the Spring Budget.

James Cartlidge: Through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the Government provided an unprecedented package of support for non-domestic users, including public sector leisure and sports centres, this winter. Wholesale gas prices have reduced significantly since the current scheme was announced and have returned to level before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The new Energy Bills Discount Scheme will provide all eligible non-domestic energy users across the UK with a discount on high energy bills until 31 March 2024, following the end of the current Energy Bill Relief Scheme. Eligible public sector leisure and sports centres will therefore continue to receive energy bill support from April 2023. The new scheme will help those locked into contracts signed before recent substantial falls in the wholesale price manage their costs and provide others with reassurance against the risk of prices rising again. The scheme will provide non-domestic users with long term certainty and reflects how the scale of the challenge has changed since September last year. The majority of income available to Local Authorities in England through council tax, retained business rates and grant funding can be used flexibly across service areas, including support for leisure services. The 2023-24 Local Government Finance Settlement confirmed that councils in England will have access to almost £60 billion in the next financial year to deliver vital services, an average funding increase for councils of 9.4% compared to 2022-23.

Spirits: Excise Duties

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to freeze duty on spirits in the Spring Budget 2023.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the excise duty rate on spirits on small gin distillers.

James Cartlidge: The Government is unable to speculate on the content of the Spring Budget, which takes place on 15 March.

Treasury: Minimum Wage

Justin Madders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has contracted work to a business named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme within the last three years.

James Cartlidge: HMT are unable to identify any spend in relation to the businesses named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme within the last 3 years.All employers need to pay their staff correctly. Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it’s the law. Under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, employers who have previously broken minimum wage law can be publicly named. Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Public Sector: Car Allowances

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of HMRC-approved mileage rates remaining fixed since 2011 on women.

James Cartlidge: Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. The government sets the AMAP rates to minimise administrative burdens. The AMAP rates applies equally to all employees, irrespective of their gender, who use their own car or van for business mileage. The AMAP rates aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Depreciation is estimated to constitute the most significant proportion of the AMAP rates. Employers are not required to use the AMAPs rates. Instead, they can agree to reimburse a different amount that better reflects their employees’ circumstances. If an employee is paid less than the AMAP rate, they can claim Mileage Allowance Relief (MAR) on the shortfall. However, where payments exceed the relevant AMAP rate, there may be a tax and National Insurance charge on the difference.

Fuels: Excise Duties

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made any assessment of the potential merits of issuing a 15p per litre rebate on fuel duty for (a) road freight, (b) coach and (c) logistics operators.

James Cartlidge: At Spring Statement 2022, in response to high fuel prices, the Government introduced a temporary 12-month cut to duty on petrol and diesel of 5p per litre. This represents a tax cut worth around £2.4 billion in 2022-23, benefiting anyone who consumes fuel across the UK – including the road haulage, logistics and coach sectors. As a result, the average haulier will save £1500 in 2022-23 on average. All taxes remain under review and the Chancellor will confirm policy in the Budget, as was the case in previous years.

Care Workers: Car Allowances

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether officials in his Department have had discussions with (a) HMRC and (b) HM Treasury on funding for the Scottish Government to help support an increase in mileage rates for care workers who provide support to disabled people in their own homes.

John Glen: The Scottish Government is well-funded to deliver all its devolved responsibilities, receiving around 25% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK. It is for the Scottish Government to allocate its funding in devolved areas as it sees fit, including support for care workers, and it is accountable to the Scottish Parliament for these decisions.

Freezing of Assets

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations into criminal breaches of financial sanctions have been initiated since February 2022.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations have been initiated by the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation into civil breaches of financial sanctions since February 2022.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many reports of possible sanctions breaches the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation has received since August 2022.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many referrals have been made by the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation to law enforcement for criminal investigations into financial sanctions breaches since February 2022.

James Cartlidge: Details of reports of potential financial sanctions breaches considered in 2021-2022 are included in OFSI’s latest annual review which is available on GOV.UK. Updated figures will be provided in the next annual review. Breaches of financial sanctions are a criminal offence and OFSI continues to assess every reported suspected breach of UK sanctions regulations. OFSI does not initiate criminal investigations into suspected breaches. Where criminal investigation is appropriate, referrals are made to relevant law enforcement partners. Companies and individuals looking to circumvent sanctions may have a specific interest in the number of law enforcement referrals arising from reports of suspected sanctions breaches. The disclosure of any information which could prejudice OFSI’s enforcement responsibilities would not be in the public interest and may aid crimes such as the circumvention of financial sanctions.

Remote Working: Infrastructure

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to provide financial support for capital investment in infrastructure projects to make regions more accessible for remote working.

James Cartlidge: The government is already taking steps to support, including through capital investment, the sort of digital connectivity that facilitates remote working. Project Gigabit is the government’s landmark infrastructure capital programme that has committed £5bn to supporting the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband across the hardest to reach areas of the UK. We’ve made great progress through industry efforts to date, with gigabit coverage now at 74%, up from 18% in March 2020.

Research and Development Expenditure Credit: Small Businesses

Darren Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review changes to the Research and Development Expenditure Credit scheme to help incentivise small and medium sized enterprises to invest in research and development in the UK.

Victoria Atkins: As part of the ongoing research and development (R&D) tax reliefs review, the Government is reforming the R&D tax reliefs to ensure taxpayer’s money is spent as effectively as possible, to improve the competitiveness of the Research and Development Expenditure Credit (RDEC) scheme, and as a step towards a simplified, single RDEC-like scheme for all. Generous spending support will continue: direct funding for R&D will reach £20 billion a year by 2024-2025 as planned. This is a cash increase of around a third compared to 2021-2022, and the largest-ever increase over a Spending Review (SR) period. The Government also remains committed to the increasing focus on innovation set out at SR 2021 and the £2.6 billion allocation to Innovate UK over the SR period. From 2021-2022 to 2024-2025, this represents a 54 per cent cash increase in Innovate UK’s budgets and 70 per cent of Innovate UK’s grants to businesses go to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Mortgages

Claire Hanna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report by LSE London entitled Releasing The Mortgage Prisoners, Proposed solutions and illustrative costings, Final Report, published in February 2023, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings in that report.

Andrew Griffith: The Government understands that being unable to switch your mortgage can be extremely stressful. The Government has consistently committed to looking for practical and proportionate options where they will deliver genuine benefits for affected mortgage borrowers, and where interventions are fair to borrowers in the active market, and to taxpayers. We will consider the proposals put forward in this very recently published report carefully.

Northern Ireland Protocol: Trade

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many customs declarations were processed by the Trader Support Service in each month since it became operational.

Victoria Atkins: This categorisation by month of data is not published, however, the total number of all supplementary declarations closed by Trade Support Service between February 2021 and February 2023 is 2.48 million.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Saudi Arabia: Tourist Attractions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with (a) the International Olympic Committee and (b) her counterparts in Saudi Arabia about the impact of the Trojena development on (i) biodiversity, (ii) climate change and (iii) other environmental issues.

Stuart Andrew: DCMS Ministers and officials have not had any discussions on the impact of the Trojena development.

BBC: Public Appointments

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the BBC Board on levels of (a) public and (b) professional trust in the political independence of the current BBC Chair.

Julia Lopez: Government Ministers meet with members of the BBC Board regularly to discuss a range of issues.